


May-December

by Nevermore_red



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Assumptions, Awkwardness, Because I like a dirty mouth, Because those looks in the show are just too good, Bed Partners, Brienne is a damn woman, Budding Love, Cop!Stannis, Dancing, F/M, Fluff, Jealousy, Miscommunication, Not BookTormund, Older Man/Younger Woman, Pool Party, Sexual Content, ShowTormund, Stannis has a dirty mouth during sexy times, Stannis is the Mannis, You know what those make, a bit of Brienne/Jaime, a bit of angst, also a bit of Brienne/Tormund, drunken attempts at seduction, fancy dresses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-10
Updated: 2016-06-07
Packaged: 2018-06-07 15:34:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 39,198
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6811234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nevermore_red/pseuds/Nevermore_red
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sansa is drunk. Stannis is honorable.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Stannis walked into his flat, tossing his keys in the bowl by the door and scrubbed a hand over his face, trying in vain to wipe away thoughts that shouldn't be there.

Still, despite his efforts, the image of Sansa Stark smiling so sweetly at him, of her disconcertingly perfect body being hugged by that navy blue dress, and the heat of her hand as she touched his bicep seared itself into his mind.

What was wrong with him? Lusting after a woman fifteen years his junior was something Robert would do. Was it because he'd just turned forty? Was he having some sort of midlife crisis?

Oddly enough, he didn't feel all that dirty thinking of Sansa. Sure, there was lust. All she had to do was toss him a smile and stand close enough and he felt his cock stirring, but there was something else to it. Something that made it a little less lecherous. In the last few months, ever since her brother Jon had become his partner, he'd been seeing more and more of her. And in that time he was coming to find she was more than a pretty face. She was smart and courteous, with a sense of honor and responsibility that rivaled her late fathers. He actually found himself enjoying conversation with her and seeking it out whenever they were at the same event.

Still, she was Jon's sister and Jon was his partner. There was some vague code he knew something about. And that code meant that he shouldn't want to fuck his partners sister until neither of them could walk properly.

He wished Davos hadn't left, not that he didn't like Jon. It was just, he and Davos been partners for years and he'd never had any of these issues with him. But Marya had talked him into switching to a desk job instead of being on the streets. A police officer, especially one in the crime riddled city of Kings Landing, dealt with danger and unease all the time. Marya was tired of worrying for her husband. Stannis understood, of course, especially with seven children to think about.

Thankful that Shireen was staying the weekend with a school friend, Stannis pulled his tie loose as he made his way to the living room. Kicking off his shoes, he dropped onto the sofa and stared at the black screen of the TV.

The worst thing about this...issue with Sansa was she seemed interested. Or, at least, Stannis thought she seemed interested. Usually she made it a point to search him out at gatherings and frequently spent the entire evening at his side. She smiled at him all the time and laughed whenever he said something funny, even if he never realized what it was he said that was funny. She touched him often, casually and effortlessly like it was the most natural thing in the world. And tonight...tonight he thought she wanted him to kiss her. Maybe he was reading the signs wrong, which was highly likely, but she'd looked up at him with wide, searching eyes that strayed to his mouth and lingered as she rose slowly up on her toes.

And he'd all but ran from her. Like a damn coward. But she confused and excited him. Everything about her felt wrong, but somehow right at the same time.

"You're losing it, old man." he growled to himself. "Seeing things you wish to see. She's 25. That's only _8_ years older than your bloody daughter!"

As much as he would like to use Shireen as an excuse, his daughter actually adored Sansa. Though his...issue with Sansa had only started a few months ago, he and Shireen had known her and the rest of the Starks for years. Shireen had taken a liking to her a few years before Sansa had lost her parents at the age Shireen was now. The two had bonded over a love of literature and, surprisingly, fashion. Stannis hadn't realized at the time Shireen was interested in such a thing.

Still, it was more age appropriate for her to be friends with his daughter, not the object of his...issue.

Pulling himself off the sofa with a self disgusted sigh, he made his way to his bedroom only to be stopped by a pounding on his front door. Startled, and a little confused, Stannis looked at the hall clock to see it was well past midnight. He'd stayed at the bar longer then he'd intended, not drinking but just being with his brothers from the force.

And mooning over Sansa.

Reaching inside of his suit jacket, he grabbed hold of the butt of his pistol in the shoulder harness he wore and went to the door and peeked out the peep hole but didn't see anything. Pulling his head back, he gripped the gun more firmly and silently undid the chain lock and the dead bolt. Just as he was fixing to pull the door open, whoever was out there knocked again.

"Stannis!" a familiar voice shouted at the door, then there was a giggle. Stannis froze, one hand on the doorknob, the other on his gun, trying to tell himself he was not going crazy and hearing things.

"Stannis," another giggle. "Stannis The Mannis." louder giggling. "Open up, please."

Stannis frowned deeper. Her voice was slurred and she had never giggled so much before. She was drunk, damn it. His ridiculous sense of duty wouldn't allow him to just ignore her. She was like to get herself into trouble if he didn't let her in.

Letting go of his gun, he pulled the door open and scowled at her harder than necessary. She was leaning heavily on the doorjamb, hence why he wasn't able to see her through the peep hole, her cheeks flushed and her hair a bit of a windblown mess. Her big blue eyes were glassy and a little unfocused.

"Stanny!" she damn near shouted, throwing her arms out to her side and stumbling dangerously in those heels that made her legs look forever long.

"Quiet, girl." he grabbed her arm to steady her, glancing about the hallway to make sure she hadn't roused any of his neighbors. When he saw no one, he looked back down at Sansa. "And don't ever call me Stanny."

"I'm sorry." she pouted her bottom lip out and batted her lashes. "Please forgive me and invite me in."

Stannis fought the urge to roll his eyes. Sansa playing the simpering flirt was quite ridiculous, especially given she'd once been that simpering, foolish flirt with his own nephew. A lesson she had learned harshly. Against his better judgment, Stannis ushered her in and closed the door, only to keep her from waking the entire floor.

Yes, that was it.

Once he'd relocked the door, he turned to her, a question of what she was doing here on his tongue only to nearly swallow the damn thing when he faced her again. She was smiling seductively, her bottom lip held between her teeth, swaying slightly in place as she reached behind her and began unzipping her dress.

"I've been working so hard to get you to notice me as a female." she slurred out, then hiccupped. "But Cersei was right about one thing." with a heavy, slow blink, Sansa pushed the dress from her shoulders. Stannis followed the fabric with his eyes as it slithered down her legs and pooled at her feet, his heart beating double time in his chest.

_Don't look up. Don't look up. Feet are safe._

"What..." his fogged mind wouldn't process any more words than that.

Sansa assumed he was asking about what Cersei was right about. "She said a horse would be easier to seduce than you."

Unable to stop himself, Stannis looked up then, intending to meet her eyes but stalling at the lacy undergarments that were all she was currently wearing. The underwear were lace, icy blue and hugged her hips enticingly. The bra was the same blue lace, and seemed to be doing nothing other than framing her breasts with the sole purpose of making them look mouth watering.

Stannis had the urge to fold his hands in front of his crotch and hide the erection that had to be quite obvious by now. Instead, he shoved his hands in his pockets to prevent himself from touching and forced his eyes up to her face. Looking at her eyes helped his self control come back. She was so obviously drunk out of her mind and he would not take advantage of her state.

"What are you doing here?" he was proud of how stern and even his voice sounded.

"Seducing you, silly." she laughed, then tried to walk towards him only to trip over the dress around her ankles. Stannis was forced to remove his hands from his pockets to stop her from falling on her face. Once he had her back on her feet, he went to step away, but she pressed herself fully against him, linking both arms around his neck, her hot breath caressing his throat.

"Feels like I'm succeeding." she slurred in a whisper, shifting her lower belly against his erection. Stannis cut off a groan in his throat and squeezed his eyes shut, letting himself just feel her for a moment, his hands gripping her waist. Warm skin, soft curves, and the smell of lemon and mint filling his head. His good sense kicked in soon enough and he pulled her arms free of his neck and stepped further away.

"You should go." he shrugged out of his suit jacket and wrapped it around her. It was long enough to cover her underwear and it concealed those distracting mounds that he wanted nothing more to bury his face between.

"You should fuck me."

His head jerked back so hard at her words that he might have given himself whiplash. Sansa Stark did not curse. Sansa Stark, sweet, somewhat shy, Sansa would have never said that to him, or any man. That, more than anything, drove home the point this was so very, very wrong.

"I won't." he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. "I will, however, call your brother to come get you."

"Jon went home with Ygritte." Sansa grumbled, and Stannis found a small amount of amusement in the petulant look on her face. "If you don't want me, I'll just leave. No need to call my brother." She stumbled back a step and bent to pick up her dress from the floor, but her centre of gravity shifted at that moment and she landed in a heap on the floor.

"Hells, Sansa." Stannis moved to help her, only to realize she was laughing loudly as she rolled over to her back, his suit jacket falling off of her as she clutched her stomach. Tears streamed down her temples with the force of her laughter and Stannis stood up straight again, scowling down at her with his hands on his hips.

"Whenever you are done, Ms. Stark." he glared at her once her laughter quieted a bit.

"Help me up, Mr. Scowl Face, and I'll leave you be." she chuckled again as she lifted both arms towards him. Cautiously, Stannis took her hands in his and pulled her to her feet. She stumbled again, then glared at her shoes.

"Stupid heels." she said to her feet.

"I would say it's the alcohol you've ingested and not your choice of footwear that has you stumbling about."

"Oh." she whispered, both hands coming up to hold her head, her eyes squeezing shut. "I think I may be drunk."

"Obviously."

"Make your living room stop." she pleaded in a little whine, her eyes still shut tightly.

"The room is stationary." he assured her. Her eyes blinked open then and to Stannis' horror, her flushed cheeks went paper white and a hand clasped over her mouth.

"This way." he grabbed her forearm and quickly dragged her to his bathroom, flicking on the light for her as she stumbled to the toilet and dropped to her knees not a second before everything in her stomach came rushing out into the porcelain bowl. Seeing that she was taking care of pulling her hair out of the way, silently thanking his good fortune he wouldn't feel obligated to get any closer to the contents of her stomach, Stannis left her to finish while he went to the kitchen. Wetting a flannel with cool water, he filled a glass with lukewarm water and cautiously made his way back to the bathroom.

It was rather odd, seeing her there on the cold tile in nothing but sexy underwear, throwing up into his toilet. It was not what he ever pictured happening in all the times he pictured her in underwear like that.

"Oh, Gods." she moaned, a hand blindly reaching up to flush the toilet. "Just kill me, please."

"Here." he handed her the flannel and set the water on the lip of the sink.

Sansa dropped back to sit on her bum, using the rag to wipe off her mouth. "Could you call me a cab, please?" she looked up at him, her eyes rolling around a bit before focusing on him.

"No, I wont." he offered her a hand and pulled her to her feet once she took it. Opening the cabinet above the sink, he pulled out a bottle of pills and a wrapped toothbrush.

"Take four of these." he opened the bottle and dumped out four pills into her waiting hand. "Drink all that water, and then brush your teeth."

Sansa tossed the pills in her mouth without question, then gripped the sink for balance as she drank from the water glass.

"I'll be right back." Leaving her in the bathroom, he went to his bedroom and found a clean KLPD shirt and a pair of his boxers for her. When he got back to the bathroom, it was to find Sansa bent forward over the sink with her cheek pressed to the side while she sloppily brushed her teeth with her eyes closed, toothpaste foam spilling from the corner of her mouth.

"That's enough." he took the toothbrush from her and helped her clean the paste from her cheek. Then, without much cooperation from her, he managed to get the shirt and boxers on her. The whole while she was obsessively apologizing between attempts to kiss him. She only succeeded once, the first time, catching Stannis off guard. He allowed it for only a second, putting the feel of her soft lips against his down to memory before gently pushing her away. He managed to avoid any further attempts.

Pushing her out of the bathroom ahead of him, he used her shoulders to steer her to his bedroom where the bedding was already pulled down.

"So you are taking me to bed?" she grinned cheekily at him, spinning around to face him and looping her arms around his shoulders.

"Yes." he pulled her arms away from him. "I am." he walked her backwards the few steps to the side of the bed, then gently shoved her onto the mattress. She laughed as she bounced once, then shoved the hair from her face and crooked a finger at him.

He shook his head silently, just watching her for a moment. Her, Sansa Stark, laying on his bed and inviting him to join her. He wouldn't, however. It was just something else to torture himself with later.

"Sleep." he pulled the covers over her and pushed her back down when she tried to sit up.

"Sleep with me." she sleepily begged, her eyes already closing as she patted the bed next to her.

"I won't. You'll regret this all in the morning."

"Or you will." she sighed, then went still, her chest rising heavily with her breathing. Forcing himself to move, Stannis grabbed his pyjama pants from the chair next to the bed and turned out the light. Leaving the door open should she get sick again, he went to the bathroom to change, only to realize he was still hard. It had subsided some when she was throwing up, but had come back full force when she'd kissed him with mint flavoured lips and given him that come hither signal from his bed.

Knowing he wouldn't be able to sleep at all with a persistent hard on, but also unwilling to deal with it in case she came back to the bathroom again (plus the smell wasn't doing anything for his ardor), he decided to clean the toilet. That would guarantee the termination of his erection.

Once the toilet was disinfected and sparkling once more and the smell of vomit no longer lingered in the air, he left the light on and went to the sofa to sleep. Being a girl of 17, Shireen would kill him if she found out he'd slept in her room and being a single father, Stannis knew when to pick his battles. Grabbing a pillow and blanket from the hall closet, he dropped down on the sofa and willed himself to sleep and not dream of a half naked Sansa begging him to fuck her.

Damn his honor and sense of duty to the seven hells. And damn Sansa Stark for making her want her all the more.


	2. Chapter 2

The first thing that came to Sansa's mind when she started waking up was that she felt like hell, but it smelled like heaven. Dryer sheets and a woodsy smell with just a hint of lemons. She knew that smell and the man attatched to it.

Stannis Baratheon, the man who seemed to believe women were an entirely different species. The man who seemed immune to her charms and flirtatious smiles and attempts at wooing him. Though, to be honest, she was a little shy about being too forward when it came to men. For good reason, she thought.

Rolling over with a groan as her head protested the motion and her stomach churned unpleasently, she tugged the blankets up further around her chin and inhaled again. Why did her bedding smell so much like him? Honestly, it was making her a little achy between the thighs, especially since she had some vague rememberance of a dream of kissing him. Squirming around, trying to ease the throb at her centre and the intense beating in her head, she tried to remember what happened last night.

Ygritte had told her about Jon going to the bar to meet up with some of his friends on the force, which likely meant Stannis would be there. Since Ygritte was the only person that knew of her infatuation with her brothers new partner, she had agreed to go with Jon, thus allowing Sansa to come on the grounds of wanting to hang out with Ygritte. Stannis had been as he normally was. Silent and intense while drinking nothing but water as he sat stiffly on the bar stool. Sansa had, as usual, went to him and struck up a conversation. It had taken him a bit to warm up, like it always did, but eventually they were talking easily about the state of the school system and how he wanted Shireen to attend private school if only he could afford it.

Things passed well enough for the next few hours. She kept up conversation with him while still engaging with Ygritte and some of the other officers that had once been her father or Robb's friends. Theon Greyjoy had somehow talked her into a shot of something called a Redheaded Slut. Which in turn, gave her the bravery to sit a little closer to Stannis than normal, her hand lingering on his bicep.

It was a nice bicep. Firm even in it's relaxed state, and warm under her palm.

She had a wild moment where she thought he might kiss her, which is probably where the dream came from. But just as quickly, he stood abruptly from his stool and made hasty excuses as he left the bar. For some reason him leaving like that had bothered her more than usual. Something she tried to forget by taking several more of those Redheaded Sluts, and Ygritte introduced her to the liquid glory that was Diet Coke and Jack.

After that, things got a little fuzzy. She vaguelly remembered complaining to Ygritte about Stannis' lack of interest, but that was it. She thought maybe she'd taken a cab home. But, no. Something was still missing. Ygritte had dared her to do something. Something that was...

"Oh, Gods no." Sansa sat up quickly, wincing as her brain screamed at her. She grabbed it with both hands and looked around the room she was in with blurry eyes. The small bedroom was clean, almost obsessively so, done in dark colours with little in the way of personal touches. It was his, she knew. Of course it was his. She'd gotten some drunken, hairbrained idea to come to his flat and seduce him, fueled by liquid courage and Ygritte's equally drunk encouragement. Thankfully, she was a little dull on the actual details of what happened when she got here. Judging from the empty bed and the lack of a certain sort of ache between her thighs, he hadn't taken her up on her offer. And from the burning in the back of her throat, she deduced that she'd thrown up at some point. Hopefully in the toilet and not in front of Stannis.

Looking at the single window in the room, she wondered if she could just sneak out and pretend this never happened. Unfortunatly, he lived on the fourth floor and she had to pee so badly her blader was about to burst.

Rising on weak legs, she tiptoed as silently as she could to the bathroom and relieved herself. That's when she realized she was wearing his clothing and not the navy blue wrap dress she'd had on last night.

"Stupid, stupid girl." she chastised herself as she went to the sink and got a look at herself. _Sheesh_ , she looked like death warmed over. Her eye makeup was all over her face, her red lipstick now smeared all around her mouth and her hair was tangled and sticking up at odd angles. Using his hand soap, she scrubbed her face clean of any traces of makeup, but could only find a little comb. It took her forever to untangle her hair, but she managed, and then brushed her teeth with the toothbrush she had a foggy memory of using last night.

Knowing there was nothing more to do to avoid going out in the living room, she hoped that at seven in the morning, he would still be asleep and she could make a clean get away.

She knew she had no such luck once the smell of something cooking hit her nose as she left the bathroom. Hesitantly, she made her way to the small kitchen that opened to his living room. Stannis was standing at the stove, his back to her, and Sansa felt the overwhelming desire to sink to her knees and beg him to notice her as a sexual being.

He wore only sleep pants slung low on his hips, leaving the long length of his back bare. Muscles and bone shifted and flexed as he cooked but what surprised her more than a half naked Stannis was the tattoo on his left shoulder blade. Stannis had _never_ reminded her of a man that would have a tattoo. He was far too serious and responsible. But, there it was, in blacks and greys and browns. A large stag head with huge antlers and a regal looking face.

Before she could announce her presence, or pick her jaw up off the floor, Stannis turned around with the pan in his hand, his eyes locking with hers as he stalled in his motion. The front was even better than the back. He was slim, but in very good shape. His pectorals were defined and covered in black hair with a dusting of grey. His abdominals weren't overly developed but lightly defined and the same black hair started up again under his navel.

"Good morning." she greeted him with a small smile, pulling her eyes away from his chest and hoping he'd attribute the flush on her face to just waking up.

"Morning." he regained himself and moved to the plate waiting on the island and slid an egg on to it. "Would you like something to eat?"

"No thank you."

"You should drink something at least." he said without looking up at her.

"A little hair of the dog?" she joked, trying to lighten the akwardness she felt at the moment.

"That's a myth." now he did look at her, pinning her with that intense expression. "Your body feels poorly because alcohol is toxic to it. More will momentarily make you feel better, but is just doing more harm in the long run." he turned from her and pulled a glass and something else from another cabinet. Filling the glass with water, he dropped two white tablets into the water until it started fizzing.

"Drink this." he shoved it across the counter, then went back to his own food.

"Alka-Seltzer?" she asked, picking up the glass.

"With a pain reliever, for your head." he said before placing a bite in his mouth.

"Thank you." she quickly downed the bubbly water, ignoring the salty taste. Once she was finished, she took the glass to the sink and refilled it to wash away the taste and the feeling of a tennis ball setting on her tongue.

"I owe you an apology." she told him before turning around to face him. "I'm not entirely certain what all I said or did last night, but I gather it was embarrassing."

"Alcohol does that to people." he gave her a reprimading look. "Drunk people rarely make good choices."

Feeling somewhat like a child being scolded, Sansa quickly changed the subject. "You have a tattoo." It was the first thing that came out of her mouth. She blushed lightly when his eyes shifted back to her.

"One of those drunken bad choices I was talking about." he finally said before going back to his food.

Sansa smiled, intrigued. She'd never known Stannis to drink. "Stannis Baratheon was once drunk enough to get a tattoo?"

"A momentary lapse in good sense." he shifted the food around on his plate. "My parents had been dead for two years and Robert and I got pissed drunk on the anniversary of the accident. We ended up at a tattoo parlor with the logo of our fathers shipping company. Robert's is on his upper arm. Renly ended up getting the same a few years later, when he was old enough. His, I'm told, is on his hipbone."

Sansa knew that the Baratheon brothers weren't close, but the fact that they bonded over their parents death was something she understood all too well. And Stannis could say all he wanted about it being a drunken mistake, Sansa had taken in the detail of that tattoo. That would have taken more than one setting to finish.

She decided not to point that out.

"At least I managed to avoid any tattoo parlors." she attempted to joke again.

"Except for the little red bird on your upper rib cage."

Sansa felt her eyes go wide even though he wasn't looking at her. The bird tattoo, which she'd gotten after she'd been accepted into graduate school, was small and simple and rested just under where her bra line normally was. That meant he seen her at least partially unclothed. Had they done something?

"We, uh," she flushed and looked down at her fingers. "Did we... _do_ anything last night?"

Stannis sighed and carried his plate to the sink and rinsed it off before turning and leaning back against the counter, his arms crossed over his chest, his scowl firmly in place.

"You don't remember?"

"It's all pretty fuzzy."

Stannis nodded. "Nothing happened between us, not for your lack of trying."

"Oh, Gods." she covered her face with her hands. "What did I do?"

"Are you certain you wish to know?"

"Yes." her voice was muffled by her hands.

"You showed up here a little before one, and then proceeded to disrobe. Once you were down to your...undergarments, you tripped over your dress and then begged me to, and I quote here, 'fuck' you."

Sansa let out a strangled sound of horror. She couldn't believe she'd said that out loud.

"I covered you with my suit jacket and then attempted to call your brother."

"You didn't, did you?" she peeked over her fingers as dread filled her stomach. Jon would be so embarrassed of her behavior with his friend and partner.

"No." he shook his head. "You asked me not to, and then fell down. I got you back to your feet in time for you to rush to the bathroom and...vacate the contents of your stomach."

"This keeps getting worse." she whined. "At least I was covered with your jacket while I puked."

"Ah, I'm afraid not." she shot him a horrified look and he winced a little. "The jacket slipped off when you had fallen."

"Gods, just kill me." she mumbled.

"Yes, you said that after you'd finished vomiting last night as well. I helped you up and gave you some water and a toothbrush. When I came back with clothing you were the most uncooperative person. Honestly, it was easier to dress Shireen as a toddler. And the whole while you were begging me for forgiveness while simultaneously trying to kiss me."

Sansa gaped at him, registering the colour in his cheeks. "No! Not after I threw up!"

"In all fairness, you had brushed your teeth."

Sansa grimaced, unsure if she should ask. But she did. "Was I ever successful?"

Stannis shifted, his teeth grinding together before he answered. "Once. The first time. I knew what to look out for after that."

"Stannis, I am so, so sorry. That's just... _gods_ , that's so embarrassing."

"Yes, well, at least you don't have to remember your drunken mistakes." Something in the way he said that, clipped and harsh, had Sansa thinking she had offended him somehow.

"Stannis, I..." she cut herself off, not sure what to say. She took a moment to think, and Stannis seemed to know this and gave her the time she needed.

"Actually kissing you wasn't the mistake." she tilted her head to the side until his gaze met hers. "Kissing you without your consent and while I was too drunk to remember it was the mistake."

Stannis remained silent for a long moment, his lower jaw working from side to side as his breathing turned a little irregular.

"You don't regret kissing me?" he asked cautiously, seemingly thinking his words over carefully.

"I regret doing it when I did, but not the actual act. I regret that I don't even remember it." Sansa bit the inside of her bottom lip hard after she spoke, hoping he wouldn't tell her to get out now.

"It was nothing." he finally said. "A brush of lips. Hardly something to consider an actual kiss." he flushed deeper, a hand coming up to scratch at the stubble growing on his cheek. "If you want a kiss to remember, I can do better."

Stunned, Sansa just stared at him with her lips parted, her heart racing.

"I would, of course, need your consent for that sort of thing." he pushed off the counter and came to stand just in front of her, the heat of his body touching her.

"Yes." she whispered, then louder, "Yes. You have my consent."

Stannis tilted his head to the side, his eyes studying her face in detail, seemingly looking for something. When he seemed satisfied, he placed a hand behind her head, and the other rested on her hip. Her breath came in rapid waves. She could feel how flushed her face was, how wide her eyes were. Her lips tingled with anticipation and she tilted her chin up so he could have better access. Just before he leaned in, his eyes, so dark and intense, met hers and held as he came closer. Her own fluttered shut, waiting for his lips to touch hers.

Already this was the most intense kiss she'd ever had and his mouth wasn't even to hers yet!

When he finally did close the distance, Sansa jolted a little at the sensation. It was soft, but firm and he quickly pulled her closer as he took the kiss up a notch, his lips undulating against hers, forcing her mouth to open and close. When his tongue flicked inside and tasted hers, she clutched his shoulders to keep standing.

Stannis had always been so unsure of himself around women, so uncomfortable and was teased by the other officers (though never to his face) for his lack of a love life. But, Gods, the man could kiss. So sure and demanding without being rough or over enthusiastic.

She lost herself in it, only vaguely aware that her hands were running up and down his chest and sides, letting her fingers drag through his chest hair. Her touch seemed to spur him on even more, the hand on her hip sliding up until it rested just under her breast, his thumb swiping back and forth on the underside as his kiss became almost frantic.

"Stannis." she gasped his name as his mouth slid from hers to her jaw line, his lips moving hotly against her skin until he got to the highly sensitive spot just under her ear.

 _"Yes."_ she hissed the word when his teeth scraped lightly along her earlobe. Not wanting to be outdone, or him to think she wasn't fully with him for this ride, she slipped her hands down the length of his spine, her hands gliding over the firm globes of his bum and giving them a squeeze as she used them to pull him more firmly into the cradle of her hips.

Stannis growled, his hand abandoning her hair to hold her hip while he rocked into her, his mouth coming back to hers and kissing her deeply. Sansa rocked back into him, frustrated when he was too tall and his blatant erection was pressed tightly above her pubic bone instead of where she needed it. She pulled her mouth away from his with a desperate gasp.

"Sit me on the counter." she panted, her fingernails scratching lightly up his spine.

He shivered and clutched her hip tighter. "What?" he rasped.

"Put me on the counter." she said again. "You're too tall and I want to feel you between my legs."

A strangled noise came from his throat, but he gripped her hips and lifted her, taking the necessary steps for her bum to hit the counter. It put her a little higher than she'd been hoping for, but when she wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled him back to her, she could feel the blunt head of his erection against her centre.

"There." she gasped, shifting her hips to feel him better. "Kiss me again."

"Can I take this off?" he asked, tugging on the bottom hem of her, or his, shirt. Licking her lips, she nodded and lifted her arms, helping him to remove it. As soon as it was off, his hands were running up and down her sides, and his mouth was kissing along her collar bone. With a moan, she let her head fall back, only for it to bang loudly against the cabinet behind her.

"Ouch." she gasped, rubbing the offended spot.

Stannis pulled back, the rocking of his hips stilling. "What?"

"Not you." she smiled, cupping his face in her hands. "I just banged my head. Please, don't stop what you were doing."

He looked a little leery, but went back to kissing her neck and chest, though with less force than before, but that was alright. His hands were now toying with the bottom line of her bra, his fingers just dipping under the band but stopping when he reached her actual breasts. Removing her hands from his torso, she reached behind herself and unhooked the clasp, but didn't remove the bra. She wanted him to make that move. Leaving the bra hanging loosely on her body, she went back to touching his chest and shoulders.

It took him a moment, but he eventually ran his hands up her biceps and took the straps of her bra in his hands, easing them down and off. He kept his mouth to her throat as he dropped the article to the floor. His hands came back to her waist and slowly, _so, so slowly_ , made their way back up to her breasts as his lips and tongue drew closer and closer to the swell of her right breast. She leaned back as far as she could, mouth open to accommodate her rapid breaths, her eyes squeezed shut in anticipation.

His hands cupped both breasts, pushing them up and together. An odd little whimpering moan came from her throat and she looked down to watch him, the throb at her centre beating in time with her racing pulse. He ran the tip of his nose along her tingling peak, his lips opening to take it into his mouth, his tongue coming out to taste and then...

And then a key sounded at the front door lock.

Stannis heard it before she did, shooting up straight and nearly causing her to fall off the counter.

"It's Shireen." he looked at her with wide eyes, then jerked her off the counter before picking up her bra and shirt and shoving them at her. "Hurry, get dressed."

With shaking hands, Sansa quickly jerked on his t shirt, then balled up the bra and shoved it in the back of the boxers waistband just as the door opened.

"You're home early." Stannis, his voice sounding as calm and collected as always, greeted Shireen while he pretended to be busy washing the plate he'd left in the sink.

"Good morning to you too, dad." Shireen grinned, then her eyes went wide when she seen Sansa standing at the bar. "Sansa! What are you doing here?" she asked with the start of a smile. Then she frowned as she took in Sansa's clothing. Sansa looked at Stannis, but he kept his back turned and focused completely on his 'dishes'.

 _Arse_.

She turned back to Shireen with a self deprecating smile. "I had a little too much to drink at the bar last night. Your father didn't want me traipsing about the city alone at night in a cab, so he brought me here."

"Another reason why drinking is a bad idea." Stannis finished what he was doing and turned around to face his daughter finally.

"I've heard the speech before, dad." Shireen said good naturedly.

"I'll fold the blanket I used on the sofa and then get dressed and get out of your hair." Sansa said quickly, hurrying into the living room to start folding the blanket she hadn't used.

"You could have slept in my bed, Sansa." Shireen followed a little behind her while Stannis disappeared down the hall.

"Honestly, I sort of just fell on the sofa." Sansa shrugged. "But, thank you."

"Here," Shireen reached for the blanket and pillow. "I'll put them up. Are you sure you can't stay for a bit? I finished a few sketches of some designs I'd like to show you."

Sansa opened her mouth, wondering what to say, when Stannis walked back in, now wearing a shirt. It was a shame, really.

"I'm sure Sansa wants to go home and get some real sleep." He stared at her as he spoke and Sansa tried not to let his words sting too much. He was probably just trying to get her out of an uncomfortable situation. But she couldn't help but feel like he was rejecting her a little.

"I do." She smiled at him, then back to Shireen. "Maybe we could go do lunch next weekend and I'll go over them? I need a few new outfits for some upcoming interviews. We could go shopping after."

Shireen beamed, and looked at her dad pleadingly.

"I'm working next weekend anyway."

"Great, I'll just go get changed now." Sansa grabbed the dress she'd worn last night that Stannis had laid out across the back of the recliner at some point and quickly changed in the bathroom. Coming back into the living room, she found her clutch on the table next to the front door.

"I called a cab for you already." Stannis told her, coming around the sofa to stand near her at the door. Shireen wasn't in the living room anymore so it was just them.

"Thank you." she smiled at him. "And thank you for everything else. For taking care of me last night. And then for this morning." she motioned to the kitchen. "You were right. That kiss isn't something I'll forget."

Stannis looked behind her at the empty hall as colour rose to his cheeks. "That...I shouldn't have done that."

Sansa scoffed, ignoring the twinge of hurt his words brought and crossed her arms. "Don't do that."

He looked back at her. "Tell the truth?"

"No. Don't pretend this was all on you. I asked for the kiss, and I was an active participant in everything that happened. And don't insult me by saying that what happened wasn't something you wanted. Obviously you did. I felt how much you wanted it."

Stannis winced a little at the reminder of how his arousal had been rocking against her, the colour in his face deepening. "I didn't intend to insult you. But you're Jon's sister."

"And you're Robert and Renly's brother." she put her hands on her hips. "What does that have to do with what happens between you and me?"

"I doubt Jon would take too well to the idea of what we were just doing."

"I don't ask for the details of his sex life, and he doesn't need to know mine. Besides, we're both adults. We can do as we please."

When Stannis looked like he was going to say something else to deny there could be something between them, she lifted a hand to cut him off.

"Just think about it for now." she opened her clutch and pulled out her phone. "What's your phone number?" She held her phone ready, thumbs poised to type out the number. Stannis took long enough that she thought he wouldn't give it to her. Finally he told her the number and she quickly added it to a new contact. Then she sent him a blank text. A phone buzzed from the coffee table.

"There." she locked her phone and put it back. "Now you have my number also. Take your time and figure out if you want to finish what we started in there."

Before he could stop her, she quickly stepped into him and kissed his cheek, then whispered in his ear, "I'll be waiting."

Stepping back, she shot him another smile, amused at the heated look in his eyes mixed with confusion and awe. With a little chuckle, she left his flat and headed down to meet her cab. She hoped more than anything he'd call her soon. Because she really, _really_ wanted to finish what they'd started.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aw, the awkward morning after. Let me know what you think!!


	3. Chapter 3

Seeing Jon at work the next day was decidedly awkward. The worst part of it was Jon didn't even have a clue. They met at the station early that morning in the locker room. Jon greeted him with his usual subdued good morning. They changed into their uniforms, got their coffee, Jon got his cinnamon roll and Stannis got his bagel, and then they got into the patrol car.

Everything was how it normally was, but Stannis couldn't help feeling more tense than normal around his partner. He'd seen this mans sister in just her underwear. Sexy, barely there, wholly mouthwatering underwear! His hands had been all over her body. Her breast had almost been in his mouth! Beautiful, wonderfully full breasts that nearly overflowed his hands.

"Something up?" Jon asked once Stannis pulled the car out onto the road.

Stannis jerked his head around and glanced at him before forcing himself to calm down. "Why do you ask?"

"You look like you might have a fever. Your face is all flushed." Stannis scowled even harder, his teeth grinding together. How the hells did he get out of this?

"You know," Jon went on casually. "You are allowed sick days. If you're ill, stay home. I don't want you giving me something."

"I'm not ill."

Jon shifted around in his seat for a moment, then let out a sigh. "Look, I know you aren't a man that wants to talk about his...shit." he waved a hand around as he spoke. "I'm not a man who normally wants to listen to other peoples shit. It makes for a good partnership. But, uh, if there is something the matter, something you need to talk about, I could..."

"For the love of the North, Jon, please stop talking." Stannis rubbed his forehead irritably, cutting off Jon's increasingly uncomfortable speech. "I don't have shit to talk about."

"Good." Jon let out a relieved breath. "Good. But if you ever do, you know."

Stannis grunted in acknowledgement. He knew Jon was trying to help, but he was making things so much worse.

"So, Ygritte said Sansa got pretty sloshed the other night at the pub."

Stannis tensed, his fingers gripping the wheel hard enough to turn his knuckles white.

"Did she." he tried to sound casual and not like he was freaking the fuck out on the inside.

"I knew Theon gave her that shot, but I hadn't realized she was drunk." Jon looked at him. "Did she seem drunk to you?"

Stannis panicked for a moment, trying to figure out what to say. "I left pretty early. She seemed alright when I was there."

There. That wasn't a lie.

"I feel bad." Jon went on. "If I had known she was drunk I would have insisted on taking her home. No telling what could have happened to her without someone with her."

Oh, Stannis could think of a thing or two. Stripping in front of a much older man. Puking in his toilet. Getting felt up on his kitchen counter the next morning.

"Have you talked to her?" Stannis asked, turning the car towards Flea Bottom.

"No. Ygritte did yesterday morning, though."

"She'd made it home safe, then?"

"Guess so. Sansa is a good girl with a level head on her shoulders. I doubt she would have gotten herself into too much trouble. Too sensible, that girl. Or at least she has been since that Joffrey bullshit that happened."

Once Stannis recovered from almost choking on nothing, he frowned at the reminder of the debacle that had become Sansa and Joffrey's ill fated, but thankfully short, relationship. Stannis wasn't around much back then, as Robert was still with Cersei at the time and Stannis would much rather spend an evening getting his chest hairs plucked out one by one then spend time with that horrid woman, so he hadn't been witness to all the gory details. He'd gotten his information in cliff notes from various sources, Robert, Myrcella, Renly, hells even Tyrion Lannister. At work he'd heard about it from her father and Robb, though they were normally close lipped about it.

Robert and Cersei's divorce was a long time coming, but Joffrey's treatment of Sansa had been the straw that broke that camels back. Robert had wanted the boy punished and Cersei had insisted on spending a small fortune on high paid lawyers to get him off. Robert refused, and even testified in court against his own son. Joffrey was sentenced to a year in juvenile detention with another year probabtion for assult and battery and sexual assult. He was currently living somewhere in Lannisport with his mother and grandfather.

It was around the same time that Ned and died on the job. Shot while in persuit of a suspect. It wasn't but a few months after that Robb and Catelyn had died in a car accident together.

Unwilling to keep this line of subject open, Stannis shifted the conversation over to the tasks of the day. Jon thankfully didn't bring his sister up again.

Three days had passed before the text messages started.

The first was a picture of her. She was outside somewhere, the sun shinning and trees in the background. Her head was tilted to the side and her hair was spilling over her shoulder, shinning brightly in the sunlight. Her smile was nearly as bright. The message said **'patiently waiting.'**

Although the picture was innocent, only her face and shoulders had been visable, he was rather ashamed to find himself staring at it while laying in bed that night. However, he absolutely refused to keep looking at it as he brought himself off. He had some decorum, after all.

The next message, which came the day after the first, was a senseless rambling about how she didn't like coffee, but preferred tea. Stannis had looked at the message in total confusion until her next message came through just moments later. **'Just fyi if you ever decide to take me on a date.'**

The third message came the next day. Since he and Jon were on a four on and two off rotation at work, he'd been at home going through his bills when it came. **'Meeting Shireen Sat for brunch and a shopping session. Should I bring her back home or is it ok if I take her to a friends if she asks?'**

It was the first message that had required his reply. And it was a sensible question, although Shireen could have just called him the day of and asked. **'Whatever she wants.'**

He trusted Shireen enough to know she wouldn't abuse the leniency. It was how his job worked. That and the help of the Seaworths. More than likely she would either go there or just come home.

**'Oh, so your phone does work. ;) I was beginning to wonder.'**

Stannis didn't know what to say to that. Should he apologize for not texting her sooner? But she said he could have time. He was taking time, even though he was certain he was going to decline her offer. Still, she at least deserved to know that.

**'I think we should forget about the other morning. This isn't a good idea.'**

Even as he typed it and sent it, he felt a hot sense of shame crawling across his skin and his stomach twisted with guilt. When she took close to an hour to reply, he thought she was finished talking to him.

**'Wasn't that the point of the kiss? To give me one to remember? Sorry, but I won't forget it. It doesn't have to happen again if you don't want it to. Though I think that would really be a shame. I was looking forward to finishing what we started.'**

The logical side of Stannis told him she couldn't possibly mean that. He was an old, divorced man with a teenage daughter. He'd not only failed at keeping his first wife happy, not that either of them had really tried, she had hung herself a year after the divorce. He knew fully well he wasn't a man women craved. He wasn't a man that could easily offer the warm, romantic gestures that women enjoyed.

But why would Sansa be persuing this still if it wasn't what she wanted? And the way she'd responded to him in his kitchen? He was pretty sure if he'd had just a few more minutes he could have brought her off without even removing her pants.

Maybe that's what she was wanting. Just a man to help fufill her needs. Stannis understood that need. He'd never had a relationship after Selyse, but there was an...aquaintance of his that he used to meet up with every so often to relieve some tension. He hadn't seen her in well over six months, though.

Could he do that with Sansa if that's what she was looking for? His dick said he most certainly could but his mind kept listing off the reasons why that was a really, really bad idea.

Apparently his dick won out, because after his next four days at work, he found himself standing at her front door.

He knew where she lived because he'd dropped Jon off there once or twice. He hadn't text her or called her because he thought this was something that should be discussed face to face instead of through a phone. Before his brain could win out against his lust, he lifted a hand and knocked. There was a scuffling noise inside, then a muffled bang. He thought he heard her speaking under her breath, but couldn't make out what she was saying. A few seconds later, the door opened a crack, the chain lock still on.

Good. At least she wasn't throwing the door open every time someone knocked on her door.

Through the small crack, he seen her face lean in close. She was wearing glasses and smiled brightly when she seen him.

"Stannis! Hang on." she reclosed the door and he heard the chain lock rattle against the door before she pulled it open again.

On some level he was aware he shouldn't be turned on looking at her right then. Her hair was in a sloppy knot on top of her head, she was wearing glasses and no make up, an over sized sweater that said 'Red Hair Don't Care', a pair of floral print shorts, and fuzzy black socks that reached mid calf. It was not an outfit meant to entice. Still, he felt his heart flutter in his chest and his cock stir in his pants.

"Come in, please." she stepped to the side and motioned him in. Silently stepping in, he took in the small studio. Hardwood floors, bright colours, lots of pictures, and decidedly feminine. It suited her.

"Would you like something to drink?" she asked after she'd gotten the door closed. "I have tea and water. I even have some lemons, if you'd like."

"No." he shook his head and watched her walk around him to clear off the a section of the sofa that sat at the foot of her bed. There was a few open text books, a notebook, and an open laptop.

"Excuse the mess." she moved all the stuff to the coffee table in front of her sofa. The studio wasn't messy other than those things. A little too cluttered for Stannis' preferance, but tidy and clean. "I have a final exam coming up soon. I was just studying."

Stannis found it odd she hadn't asked why he was here yet. He was hoping for that, actually. He needed a way to start this off.

"Would you like to sit?" she asked, motioning to the sofa cushion she'd just cleared as she sat down on the opposite end.

"Thank you." he stiffly sat. Being this close to a bed with her next to him was making him jumpy. He resolutely didn't look at the bed and instead focused on Sansa's eyes.

"You're wearing glasses." he stupidly pointed out.

Sansa touched the frames like she'd forgotten they were there. "Oh, yes. I usually wear contacts but since I was just studying I didn't put them in."

He nodded, looking at the text books she'd placed on the coffee table. He felt his brows pull together.

"Psychology?" Though he never asked and Jon had never said, he thought Sansa was in school to be a teacher of some sort since she worked for a school.

"Yes." she nodded enthusiastically. "I have my Bachelors in Psyc and I'm working on my Masters with an interest in counseling."

Impressed, Stannis asked her about her schooling for a bit. It was a safe subject. A comfortable one. He could work up to what he'd actually come for.

Sansa, however, beat him to it. "Not that I'm not tickled that you're here, but was there a specific reason why you came? Or did you just want to give me school guidance?" she asked the last part with a teasing grin.

Stannis cleared his throat before he started. "No, I came here about your offer.

" "What offer is that?" she asked, turning to sit sideways on the sofa so she faced him.

"The offer to continue what we started the other morning in my kitchen."

She smiled sofly, but her cheeks grew warm. "And did you come to a decision about that offer?"

"I have." he swallowed. "I do."

"You do what?"

He felt his own face heating. "Want to continue."

Sansa licked her lips before biting at her bottom one. Stannis watched the action in fasination, the half wood he'd been sporting since she opened the door filling out even more.

"When were you thinking about this continuation?" she asked softly, shifting a bit closer to him.

"Now." his voice rasped out. "Unless, of course, you are too busy with your studying."

She smiled at that, a hand coming up to pull her glasses off. She sat them on the coffee table then slid across the space between them, gently arranging herself on his lap, a knee on either side of his thighs. His lungs constricted as her heat enveloped him. Her soft weight felt good against his legs, but he had the almost irrepressible urge to grab her hips and pull her forward until her centre could ride his erection.

"I believe," she started in a husky voice. "we were around here." she crossed her arms in front of her and grabbed the bottom of her sweater. With one smooth motion, she lifted it over her head and tossed it over the side of the sofa. She was wonderfully bare underneath. No sexy blue lace to hinder the view of her breasts. Stannis found himself just staring like they were the first set of breasts he'd ever seen. They weren't, of course, but they may have been the most perfect ones he'd ever seen. Full and milky white with wonderful pink nipples that were already hardening without him even touching them.

"I think," she touched a finger under his chin and brought his attention to her face. "you were also without a shirt."

Thankful he only had on a jumper and white undershirt, he quickly yanked them both off in one go. As soon as they were off, her hands were on him. Warm and soft, running over his pecs and curling into his chest hair before sliding down to his abdominals. Not wanting to be left behind, Stannis smoothed his hands up and down her sides, fingers just lightly tracing the underside curves of her breasts. She shivered and goose flesh errupted along her skin.

He looked up to ask if she was cold, but her mouth found his before any words were out. She kissed him like she might die if she didn't devour him fast enough. Not that Stannis was complaining. He couldn't remember a time in his life when a woman had showed such desire towards him. Turning his head to the side, he took control of the kiss, slowing it down just a little and sliding his tongue into her mouth. One of his hands came up to cup the back of her neck to help steady them while the other drew lazy circles around the globe of her left breast. Drawing closer and closer on each swirl to her nipple, but apparently not fast enough for Sansa.

Her back arched into his hand, subtle shifting movements of her torso that had her chasing his fingers. He avoided her nipple and moved his hand to her back. She made a huffing sound against his mouth, but didn't stop kissing him. Then she shuttered against him as his fingers drew a feather light caress down the length of her spine to the small of her back. There he flattened his palm against her and pulled her closer.

They broke apart with matching gasps when she slid over the bulge of his lap. Stannis looked up at her. Her face was flushed, her lips swollen and glistening and her big blue eyes a little glazed over.

Fuck questioning himself, Stannis thought. Fuck every insecurity he had ever had when it came to women and sex. Here was this woman, this young, stunningly gorgeous woman who was currently sitting half naked in his lap, panting and shyly grinding herself onto his hard on. And she had instigated this! All of it. His self doubts and conscious could take over later. Right now, he was going to fully enjoy this and make damn sure she did as well.

Letting his eyes slide down her body and take in her naked torso, he trailed his hands up until he reached her breasts. Taking each in hand, he watched as he gently kneaded the soft flesh. His hands looked larger than normal against her skin, darker and rougher. He liked the contrast.

Using his thumbs, he flicked over her nipples. Sansa sucked in a loud breath and he looked up at her face and did it again. Her lips fell open and her eyes slid half closed. He groaned in the back of his throat when she worked a little harder against him.

If she kept that up, he was going to come in his pants.

Wrapping an arm around her hips to hold her still, he used his free hand to plump up one breast so he could lap at her nipple. Her hands flew to his head, fingers working into the back of his hair. Going with her positive reaction, he gently sucked her into his mouth, swirling his tongue around the peak.

"Yes, Stannis." she panted, her back arching into him while her hips fought his hold. Even the tiny movements she was managing were enough to have his balls tingle. He kept at her nipple for a few more seconds, teasing it with lips and tongue. Then he gently nipped her as he pulled away.

"Ah!" Sansa gasped, her fingers tightening in his hair.

Stannis stared at her wet, swollen nipple for a second before he looked up at her. "Too much?"

Sansa nodded a little, her tongue coming out to wet her lips. "A little. But, please, don't stop."

She applied gentle pressure to the back of his head, indicating she wanted him to return to her breasts. More than willing, he went to her neglected breast and kept in mind to only use his tongue and lips. With his hand, he gently rolled her free nipple between his fingers. Distracted as he was by the wonder of devouring Sansa's nipples, he hadn't noticed her hands working between them until she had his slacks undone and was shoving a hand inside. Releasing her nipple with an audible wet pop, he all but growled at the girl when she wrapped her hand around his length.

 "Sansa," he groaned when she gave him a squeeze. "Shit. Don't stop." he wasn't sure why he said that. She was giving no indication of stopping and generally he didn't curse in front of women. At the moment, he felt he had no control over his vocal cords.

"That..." he stopped to let out a gasp. "Fuck, that feels good."

"You feel good." she whispered a little shyly and Stannis looked up at her face. She looked turned on and nervous and unsure of herself while also highly aroused. She was young, he had to remember. Being the sweet, polite, good girl that he knew her to be, it was highly reasonable to assume she didn't have much practice with these things. Not that Stannis did either, but he knew enough about his own pleasure that he could reassure her that she was doing a good job. And help her make it even better. For both of them.

"I want to take my pants off." his voice was nearly all gravel at the moment. Digging both hands under the back of her elastic waisted shorts, he palmed both her buttocks. Gods, she was soft and lush all over. "I want yours off, too."

"Okay." she nodded, but kept on slowly pumping him.

"Lets get on the bed." he suggested. If he were a more confident man, he would have just stood up while holding her and carried her to the bed. Although he knew he was in good shape, he also realized Sansa wasn't what could be considered a tiny woman. While lithe and slim, she was also well figured and close to six foot. Ruining the mood by dumping her on her arse wasn't how he wanted this to go.

"Alright." Sansa pulled her hands out of his pants and he helped her get to her feet. He kicked off his shoes and pulled his socks off before he stood and when he rounded the sofa, Sansa was sitting on the edge of her bed with her arms crossed over her chest. Since his pants were already undone, he kicked them off. And since Sansa had been giving him a handjob while his boxer briefs were on, part of his erection was already out of them. He watched her face closely as he fixed the band so everything was back inside.

"You don't have to hide." he told her as he came to stand in front of her. When she tilted her head up to look up at him, he took either side of her face in his hands .

"Can I...would you like it if I," she hesitated again and glanced down at his cotton covered erection. He was pretty sure he'd just made a wet stain on them when she spoke.

"If you can't say the words, then no. You can't."

Her eyes flashed back up to his and she uncrossed her arms, her hands settling on his hips. Stannis dropped his hands from her face and waited.

"I want to suck your," she blushed brightly, the flush running down to her chest. "cock." she whispered the word, her eyes darting away from his.

Feeling abonormally hot and so turned on he felt a little dizzy, Stannis couldn't think to say anything. Instead, he quickly removed his briefs. Before he could move to sit down on the bed next to her, she slid off the edge of the mattress and to the floor at his feet. If he'd had any blood left in his brain, he would have been embarassed of the needy noise that came out of his mouth. As it was, he could only stare down at her while she tentatively took hold of his shaft and pulled it away from his lower stomach.

She looked up at him with wide eyes. "If I do something you don't like, you'll tell me?"

Stannis swallowed and nodded, certain there was nothing she would do that he didn't like. Unless she bit him, of course. But that seemed like common sense.

She started off hesitantly, licking at his length, dropping kisses along the shaft and head. Stannis thought his head might explode from the not quite enough sensations. Finally, she drew the head of him into her mouth and suddenly his vocal cords were in functioning order again.

"Oh, fuck." he brought both hands up to thread his fingers into her pulled up hair. "Like that. Suck just a little harder."

When she did, his head fell back on his shoulders as his eyes rolled somewhere into the back of his head. He fought the urge to hold her head still while he fucked her mouth, but couldn't quite still the gentle thrusting of his hips.

It was somewhere around the time that she started stroking what her mouth couldn't take and her other hand cupped his balls that he realized this might not have been a good idea. He hadn't had any sort of sex, other than with his own hand, for half a year. He probably wouldn't have lasted that long once he was inside of her in the first place and now he was pretty sure he was seconds away from coming. There was no way he'd be able to last two thrusts inside of her.

"Sansa." he ground out her name, his fingers tightening in her hair to slow her as he stilled his hips. "Sansa, you need to, _oh fuck me_." she tightened her grip a little as she quickened her stroking and focused her mouth and tongue on the head of his cock, her tongue working wonders on the highly sensitve underside of his head.

Panting, his mind starting to fog as his balls tightened up and his lower spine gave that telltale little tingle that he was getting ready to come.

"I'm going to come." he frantically told her, unable to pull away himself. She would have to do that if she didn't want him coming in her mouth. "Sansa, I'm close. If you, _fuck_ , if you don't want it in your mouth, you need to pull away now."

He looked down just as she looked up and the second their eyes locked, he started coming. She made a surprised little noise that tickled his cock, but didn't pull away. Instead, she pumped him harder through his orgasm.

"Fuck, _fuck, fuck, fuck_ , slow down." he panted as he came down, starting to feel a little too sensitive for such vigorous motions. She immediatly slowed her hand and lightened her grip as she pulled her mouth free. He let his hands fall from her head and watched with an open mouth as she swallowed what was in her mouth and wiped the back of her hand across her lips.

"Was that alright?" she asked as she stood on shaky legs.

"It was," he shook his head to clear the haze. "Perfect. But I think you may have over estimated a forty year old mans stamina."

"You won't be able to go again?" she sounded a little dissapointed, but was looking at him hopefully.

"I can, I'll just need a bit."

"Oh." she smiled. "That's fine. I can wait."

Stannis worked his jaw, which had been clenched tightly for the last few moments of her giving him head, loosening the sore muscle.

"There's other things I can do for you while we wait." he stepped closer to her and bent slightly to kiss the side of her neck, his hands coming up to rub her sides.

"Oh, yeah?" she breathed, tilting her head to the side to give him better access to her throat.

"Mmhm." he hummed against her pulse point before licking at it.

"I like the way you pass time." she giggled as he drew his lips up to her earlobe and sucked on it.

"You'll like it even better if you get on the bed." he said the words into her ear before running the tip of his tongue along the outer shell. Sansa gasped and then shivered. Pulling away, he guided her back to the bed and waited until she was settled against the pillows before he joined her.

She looked a little silly in her shorts and fuzzy socks.

"Let's get rid of these." he knelt between her feet and pulled her socks free, tossing them over the side of the bed. Leaning down, he kissed her ankles, then started to slowly work his way up her calves, his hands rubbing what his lips weren't touching. Sansa relaxed under his touch, her legs easily parting for him as he worked his way up to her thighs. By the time he reached her shorts, she was panting and her hips were occasionally lifting off the bed as if she were searching for something to rub against.

Skipping over the shorts, he moved to her belly, kissing and licking the hot skin there. Her belly button was oddly enticing so he drew circles around it with his tongue before dipping inside. Sansa giggled at that. Taking his time, he kissed each and every rib in turn, her pale skin turning a light shade of pink from the stubble of his face. When he found that little red bird tattoo, he licked it before moving up to her breasts.

He remembered wanting to bury his face between them, so he gave into the urge now. Pushing the mounds together, he rubbed his face slowly back and forth between them, licking and sucking at whatever skin passed his mouth. Sansa was writhing under him, her hands clutching the back of his head while her back bowed into him and her leg hooked around his hip so she could rub herself against him.

"Stannis," his name came out as a whimper. "Stannis, please, I, _oh_ , I need you to touch me."

He had a fleeting thought of telling her he was touching her, but he also knew what she meant. And he wanted to touch her too.

Not leaving her breasts with his mouth, he brought a hand between them and pressed his palm firmly against the crotch of her shorts.

Gods, he could feel the heat pouring off of her. He wondered how wet she was. Deciding not to wait to find out, he slipped his hand beneath her shorts and panties and let his fingers trail through the short bundle of curls at her mound before going further down. She was so swollen he didn't have to press much to be between her folds. And it was him moaning at how wet she was. He looked up at her face, and she gave him a little smile.

"You're wet." he couldn't quite keep the disbelief out of his voice.

"I want you." she blushed furiously. "I've waited a long time for this."

Stannis thought eight days wasn't all that long, but he wasn't going to argue with her. Instead, he searched her folds, rubbing the slick wetness he found until he touched the hardened little nub he'd been looking for. Rubbing the pad of his forefinger over it, he watched her expression.

"Does this feel good?" he asked, wanting to know what she liked.

"It's," her hips pulled away from him. "It's a little much. It's pretty sensitive."

Stannis nodded, moving his finger so he was rubbing circles around it without actually directly touching it. It made sense, of course. Her nipples seemed just as sensitive.

"Gods, yes." her hips started working in counter to his movements, her neck arching her head back into the pillow. Replacing his finger with his thumb, he gently worked first one, then two, fingers inside of her. He'd once been told a woman orgasm was better if she had something to contract against when she came.

He was pretty sure that came from Robert, so it was entirely possible it wasn't true.

Sansa didn't seem to mind his fingers inside of her, so he started pumping them. He thought about that spot inside a woman, one he had always thought was just made up to torture men, but decided not to go searching right now. Sansa seemed to be enjoying what he was doing and he didn't want to do anything that might interfere with that.

It took a while, he wasn't keeping time or anything, but eventually her walls started fluttering against his fingers and Sansa's moans and gasps got louder and longer. Leaning forward, he drew one of her nipples into his mouth and flicked his tongue over it in time with the thrusting of his fingers.

"Oh. My. Gods." her whole body went taunt, her inner walls clamping tightly around his fingers and making it harder to thrust to easily so he just held them still inside of her while he kept motion with his thumb and suction with his mouth. When she came it almost sounded as if she was sobbing, his name mixed in with the other highly erotic noises she made. It wasn't like those actresses in dirty movies that he had on occasion watched, only to find he didn't enjoy. The sounds she made were real, earthy, and he felt his spent member give a hopeful twitch.

When his touch made her jump, he removed his hand and mouth, dropping kisses up the side of her neck and cheek until he reached her mouth. She latched on lazily, kissing him back a little sloppily. He didn't mind. His ego was soaring over the fact he'd done that to her.

"That was amazing." Sansa said once he moved to lay down next to her. She rolled over to face him and smiled brightly. "I can't wait to try the real thing."

When her hand ran down his stomach and her fingers started coasting over his half hard cock, he couldn't help but agree.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, they didn't actually do it. But they will! The chapter just got a little long so I broke it up into two parts. The deed will be done next chapter!!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a short one. I needed to get this done before moving on to the next point. Hope you like it!!

Sansa had given up hope that Stannis would come around to her way of thinking. Resigned herself to it, actually. It stung, of course. More than it probably should have given that they were never really together. She was not looking forward to having to see him again. She knew it would be awkward and tense and he'd probably never look at her again, let alone talk to her.

Hurt aside, she tried her best to forget about it. School helped, especially when she had an exam coming up.

Needless to say, it was a surprise when she opened her front door to find Stannis standing there. It was an even bigger surprise when she found out he was there to take her up on her offer.

And, oh was it good. Her body felt pliant and relaxed and pleasantly buzzy. And they hadn't even had actual sex yet!

Trying to remedy that soon, Sansa lightly stroked his rapidly hardening member while she kissed at his neck and chest. Both his hands were in her hair, she thought to guide her until her hair fell down around her. Lifting her head from his chest, she looked up to see him toss her hair tie onto her nightstand. When his hands came back, they threaded into her hair and massaged at her scalp. Purring softly, Sansa leaned in to kiss him again, tightening her fist around him as he grew fully erect. Stannis grabbed her wrist and pulled her hand away from him, rolling them over so he was the one hovering over her.

"Take your shorts and panties off." he told her. "I'm going to go get a condom out of my pants."

Sansa nodded and waited for him to stand up before she shimmied out of her shorts and panties, kicking them off the side of the bed. She squeezed her legs together, realizing at once that she was completely naked in her well lit studio. But, so was Stannis. And she watched as he knelt next to the bed and picked up his pants. Taking his nakedness all at once instead of piece by piece made her heart skip a few beats then go into rapid pace to make up for it. He was all long limbs and rangy muscles. Flawed and scarred, of course, but perfectly imperfect.

When he found the condom, he dropped his pants and tore the package open with his hands, tossing the wrapper onto her nightstand before turning to face her fully.

"You still want to do this, don't you?" he asked when he found her watching him with wide eyes.

"Of course." she smiled at him, stifling her nerves and letting her legs part to show him she was ready. Grinding his teeth, he stared at her legs for a long moment before looking down at himself and rolling on the condom. Oddly enough, Sansa felt her womb clenching in on itself as she watched him. She had never watched any of her previous partners, the whole two of them, put on a condom before. It felt intimate to watch Stannis do it. Intimate and highly erotic, especially given he was quite well made down there.

"How do you want to do this?" he asked once he was finished, walking up to the side of the bed. "Is there a way you find is better for you?"

Sansa thought back to her other sexual encounters. Usually the only time she got off during actual sex was if she was on top, controlling the motion and grinding her clitoris onto her partners pubic bone. But that was always in a darkened room, at night. If she rode Stannis like that now, he would be able to see every inch of her. Sansa was confident in herself and knew she was pretty, but still felt a bit reserved when it came to anything sexual.

"Maybe, maybe start out with you on top." she suggested.

Stannis nodded, crawling onto the bed to settle himself in the cradle of her hips, a forearm braced on either side of her. His warmth covered her like a blanket and his skin against hers made her want to rub against him like a cat.

"Mmm." Sansa hummed with a smile, letting her eyes close as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "You feel wonderful."

"Are you ready?" he shifted his weight to the side so he could put an arm between them.

Opening her eyes, Sansa bit her bottom lip and nodded. "Go...go slow. At first, at least. It's, I..." It had been a long time, over a year, since she'd been with Harry. And sex with him tended to be...not very pleasant. She often flashed back to her experiences with Joffrey in times like that. Being at the mercy of another man. But she didn't feel scared with Stannis. She knew he wouldn't hurt her, and also knew without a question he would stop if she asked him to.

Stannis seemed to understand what she was trying to say, or at least parts of it, because he simply nodded and reached a hand between their groins, his fingers lightly tracing her folds at first, then his touch became more firm as he pushed between them and found her still somewhat swollen clitoris. Making a V with his fingers, he rubbed on either side of it. Sansa gasped, her eyes going wide as she looked up to find Stannis watching her face. He kept up the motion of his fingers, teasing her until she felt herself swelling between them. He kissed her cheek, her neck, the notch where her collar bones met her throat. Further down, he kissed her chest and the swell of her breast, his lips gently manipulating her nipple.

Soon she felt herself on the cusp of coming again, her lower belly tightening and heat washing through her. Her fingers gripped his shoulders tightly, her nails likely leaving marks on his skin.

"Stannis." she moaned his name, her head writhing back and forth.

His head lifted from her breast and his eyes met her again. "Are you close?" His voice was so deep and graveled that it sent a new sort of ache through her body.

"Yes." she hissed. "So close."

Keeping his fingers in place, she felt the head of his erection push up against her folds, prodding around until it lodged at her opening. And then he started pressing forward, slowly and gently but at a steady pace until he was fully inside of her.

"Son of a..." he cut himself off with a groan. "You're so fucking tight."

"Stannis." she keened his name, her hips shifting against him and his fingers still pressed tightly to either side of her clit. "Move, oh Gods, move! Please."

One stroke. Just one smooth pull out and thrust back in while he rubbed her with his fingers and she was coming, that's how close she had been before he'd even put himself inside of her. And it felt wonderful. Mind numbing. Her toes curled in, her muscles clenching tightly as her whole body trembled. She wasn't aware of what she said, or if she said anything. She heard noises, but the blood rushing in her ears drowned most everything else out.

When she came back down and became aware of herself again, she found Stannis had moved. He was now laying almost flush against her, his arms shoved under her back so his hands gripped her shoulders. His face was twisted into a grimace of concentration, sweat beading along his forehead. His mouth was open slightly to allow for his panting breaths that came out in a staccato because of his thrusting into her.

Wrapping her legs around his hips, she lifted hers to meet his every thrust. Removing her hands from the claws they'd become on his shoulders, she ran her fingertips along his cheek bones, then into the back of his hair. He groaned, then let his forehead drop to her shoulder as his thrusts became short and quick.

She would never forget the noise he made when he came. It was deep and rough and raw and she was pretty sure she had another little orgasm just from hearing it. It was the sexiest thing she had ever heard in her life.

She wanted to hear it again. And again. She was pretty sure she would never get tired of hearing it.

Sansa liked his heavy weight on top of her, how his body was pressed up against every inch of hers. It was getting harder to breathe properly, though, so she nudged him to the side but rolled with him when he went so she was still clinging to his front. Stannis groaned as he rolled, his softening member slipping out of her. He wrapped an arm loosely around her waist and when she opened her eyes to look at him, his eyes were closed.

Smiling softly, Sansa took in his knackered look. His cheeks were still a bit flushed, his face free of the scowl lines that normally marred it. His hair was sticking up at odd angles from sweating and her fingers running through it. His lips, not pressed into their normal thin line, were a bit swollen looking and parted slightly for his still rapid breathing. Giving into the urge, Sansa brought a finger up and traced just under his bottom lip.

His mouth closed and his eyes immediatly snapped open.

She could actually pinpoint the exact moment his brain started working again. His eyes, which had been soft and warm with arousal, became shuttered and cool. The lines worked themselves back onto his face as he scowled at her and the rest of his body, seconds ago pliant and relaxed, went tense against her. He pulled his hand off her waist.

Sansa frowned at him and shifted back. "Don't." she warned him, then rolled over to sit up on the side of the bed, reaching down to grab the paisley throw she had knitted that was on the foot of her bed to wrap around herself.

"Don't, what?"

Standing, Sansa wrapped the throw loosely around her shoulders and turned to face him. Seeing his cock was now soft but still wearing the full condom, Sansa ignored his question and went into her bathroom. Grabbing the plastic wastebasket, she brought it and a flannel out to him. Stannis had stood while she was gone, his back to her while he presumably pulled the condom off.

"Here." she thrust the wastebasket and rag at him. He took each with a curt nod, dropping the condom in the basket before sitting it down near the nightstand. Figuring she'd give him some privacy to clean himself up, Sansa grabbed her silk kimono robe and slipped it on before going to the kitchen and filling a glass with water.

"What did you mean, don't?" Stannis asked.

Taking a sip of the water, she turned around to see he'd already pulled on his boxer briefs and was pulling his undershirt free of his jumper.

"You were regretting what we did."

Stannis narrowed his eyes at her, laying the jumper on the back of the sofa and pulling on the undershirt. "I didn't say that."

"No." she shook her head. "But I could see you were thinking it. Over thinking it, actually."

She seen the corner of his mouth curl into a grimace, but didn't say anything. Instead, he found his trousers and started putting them back on.

"You are my partners sister." he said while doing up his belt, looking at what he was doing instead of at her. "My friends sister. This..." he motioned towards the bed, but didn't seem to be able to find the words.

"Was wonderful?" Sansa supplied, sitting her water glass down and moving towards him. "Mind blowing?" she smiled at him when he gave her a disbelieving look. "Fantastic?" she stopped an arms length away from him. "Pick any of those things, but don't you dare say this was a mistake."

Stannis stared at her for a beat, then he swallowed hard and nodded. "It was many things, but no." he cleared his throat. "It doesn't feel like a mistake."

Sansa brightened, taking another step closer to him so she could rest her hands on his chest. "So, why are you leaving, then?"

"Shireen is at a drawing class at the Community Centre." he checked his watch. "I have to be there to pick her up in an hour."

"Oh." Sansa slid her hands up around his neck so she was pressed up against his front. "That's understandable, then."

Hesitantly, Stannis rested his hands on her hips, his fingers rubbing lightly against the silk of her robe. "You don't regret what we did?"

"Of course not." she smiled up at him and brought one hand around to touch his cheek. "Can I see you again?"

"For more sex?"

Sansa huffed out a laugh at his blunt question. "Well, I'd like more of that, yes. But I was also thinking that we could maybe do something else? Before hand."

His eyes widened slightly and his fingers tightened on her hips. "You want a date?"

Sansa deflated a bit. Had she read this all wrong? Did he honestly come over here simply to finish off what they'd started with no intention of seeking anything further? Anything outside of bed?

Embarrassed, and just a little wounded, Sansa pulled her hands away from him and took a step back. Trying to mask her reaction, she shrugged and forced a smile.

"If you want." she stared at the base of his throat instead of his face. "Or not. No use in pretense, I suppose."

"I've never been one for pretense, no." Sansa looked up at his face when he spoke and winced internally at the distant look in his eyes.

"Right. So, just the sex, then." she crossed her arms and looked just over his shoulder.

He looked a little stunned at her harsh tone. His mouth opened twice before something came out. "Is that not what you wanted?"

Sansa stopped and thought for a moment. Stannis obviously only wanted her for sex. On one hand, _ouch_. On the other, it was better then him not wanting her at all. She could work with that. Take the time with him during sex to try and get him to see there could be more between them. And she was positive there could be more between them. It could be great, she was certain. She just had to show him that.

Smiling sweetly, she shrugged and stepped back into him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "With sex that good, how could I say no?"

His throat worked for a moment, then he nodded. "Right. So, I'll just...call you."

"Or I'll call you." she grinned, then went on tip toe and kissed him. Really kissed him, using every ounce of skill and experiance she had into it. She rubbed the back of his skull with one hand while the other snaked around his chest, scratching lightly. She angled her head to the side and curled her tongue around his, licking at him and letting her teeth gently scrape over his bottom lip. Shifting her weight from foot to foot, she rubbed herself against him, liking the feel of her silk robe caressing her skin, knowing he could feel her breasts against his chest.

She kissed him until she couldn't breathe and his hands were both holding onto her hair like it was a lifeline.

Sansa smiled at how dazed he looked. _There._ That was much better than cold and distant.

"Tell Shireen I said hi." she pecked his lips again before stepping out of his embrace. "And I'll talk to you soon."

Stannis took a moment to regain himself. When he did, he straightened up and nodded. Bending down, he pulled his socks on, then shoved his feet into his shoes.

"Yes. Right. We'll talk soon."

She followed him to the door and held it open as he stepped out, grinning like an idiot at how he lingered there, staring at her mouth for a long second.

"Good bye, Stannis." She laughed.

His eyes snapped back to hers and he cleared his throat. "Yes. Uh, good bye, Sansa."

Sansa watched him walk down the hall, then closed the door and locked it. Turning around and pressing her back against it, she put her fingers to her still tingling lips.

Oh, yes. There was something definitely worth exploring there.

Now to make him realize that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think :)


	5. Chapter 5

After Stannis had picked Shireen up from the Community Centre and made it home, he went over the evening in his head. It had gone pretty damn well if he did say so himself. Or, at least it had. Right up until after they had sex.

Why did sex always make things awkward? It was a biological need. A drive that had driven men, and women, since the beginning of time. Shouldn't they have been able to keep being amiable afterwards?

No, something went wrong. Knowing himself as he did, he was sure he'd done or said something to bollocks it up. He just couldn't pinpoint exactly where it had all gone tits up.

From the moment he'd decided to throw all his insecurities out the window when she was sitting on his lap, things had been fine. Sansa had seemed to enjoy herself. He sure as hell had enjoyed it. More than enjoyed it, if he were completely honest. They seemed like they were on the same page with everything and then...

Well, he wasn't sure what page he was on actually. Did he want something more then just sex? Did he want an actual relationship with her? He'd gone to her flat with every intention of slaking her from his system and moving on, but now he was questioning if that was possible. And Sansa, there had been a moment when he thought she was reaching for more. That she was trying to get him to say he would take her on a date.

Would he want to take her on a date? It felt more than just a little sleazy to say he didn't want to. And he did, of course. Maybe. If it weren't for her age and Jon...

Hells, he had no fucking idea. That's why he'd left it up to Sansa. And she said she wanted just sex. So, he'd give her just sex.

Good gods, this all sounded like a midlife crisis. Robert would have a hayday with this if he ever found out. Jon would likely kill him. Davos would probably give him one of those disappointed looks that he was so good at giving. Ned and Catelyn Stark were probably rolling over in their graves.

No, more with Sansa Stark wasn't possible. But he'd indulge her lapse of good judgement by seeing her again.

It was three days later when he got a text message from her. He'd been trying to figure out how he was supposed to go about getting in touch with her again. Was he supposed to call and say, 'hey, lets fuck again.' or maybe text her and ask her to come over on a night Shireen was gone? Thankfully Sansa took the decision out of his hands.

**'Just finished my school exam. Could really use some tension relief. Care to help me celebrate?'**

Stannis took well over ten minutes deciding how best to respond.

**'Tonight?'**

**'Yeah. Unless you're busy.'**

**'No. Shireen is at a friends for the night.'**

**'Awesome :) Your place or mine?'**

Stannis scowled at the phone in his hand. This all felt...dirty. Scandalous. Illicit. He was a little ashamed to realize he was half hard at the thought of it.

**'Yours.'**

He didn't want to run the risk of Shireen coming home in the middle of it once again. He'd send her a text and let her know he was going out and would be back later tonight in case she did decide to come home and find the place empty. Figuring he wouldn't be staying the night, as this was just sex and he had to work in the morning, Stannis didn't bother packing a bag. He just grabbed his wallet, shoved a few condoms in his pocket and locked up. Sansa lived fairly close to his building so he didn't bother with a cab. Instead he walked. He needed the time and the physical exertion to help calm himself.

When he got to her door, it only took one knock before the door opened, chain lock still on. Her smiling face greeted him in the gap briefly before the door shut and reopened fully.

"Come in." she stood to the side so he could enter.

Stannis hesitated just inside, not knowing what to do now he was here. Did they just segue right into foreplay? Should he kiss her now? Did she want to talk before?

"How did your exam go?" he awkwardly asked, both hands shoved in his pockets. Sansa moved around to stand in front of him, her head cocked to the side and a small amused smile on her face.

"It went well. Do you really want to hear about it?" she lifted a brow at him. Stannis studied her face for a moment. There was something there, in her eyes, something that seemed to be anxiously waiting for his answer. He just wasn't sure what she wanted to hear. And he never was one for saying things just because other people wanted to hear them.

As it was, he did want to hear about it. He was impressed with her seriousness about her education and the amount of dedication and effort she was putting into it was admirable. In any case, this was comfortable. This was safe. Stannis felt on firm ground talking about something like this. Like that first evening he'd come here. They could talk about this, and maybe just naturally shift into a more intimate mood.

They ended up on the sofa, Sansa curled up sideways to face him. Stannis had kicked off his shoes and was turned in her direction, one arm along the back of the sofa, his fingers idly playing with her hair. Sansa talked enthusastically and animatedly about her classes and professors, occasionally asking him about his time in university. Stannis didn't even realize that they'd been sitting like that for well over an hour.

"How did you get into psycology?" he asked when she finished off a rant about the price of school books.

"Oh." she looked down at her knees, which were pressed into his thigh. "After everything happened with Joffrey, Mum thought it would be best if I got counseling. I started seeing a man named Dr. Luwin and he was just so wonderful. It really helped and I didn't even think I needed it in the first place." she looked up at him then. "I'd say thats what planted the seed early on. After dad, and then mum and Robb died, I honestly think it was Dr. Luwin who kept me sane. And after being around the station and seeing people who had gone through similar things, or worse, I realized what a calling there was for people like Dr. Luwin. And I wanted to help. Helping others cope helps me cope, I guess."

Stannis nodded his understanding. He often forgot what a hard life Sansa had lived. She seemed so well adjusted. So happy. So carefree and willing to embrace life.

Stannis shifted the hand on the back of the sofa to thread more deeply into her hair, his fingers lightly rubbing the nape of her neck. "I'm glad you got the help you needed."

She smiled at him, so sweet and soft and...real. He felt his stomach flip and his heart skip a beat.

"So am I." she shifted closer to him, stretching her legs out so they were draped over his lap. His free hand automatically gripped her thigh and pulled her closer to his waist.

"You know," she started, cocking her head to the side. "Jon says you never smile. Why is that?"

"I'm not an overly jovial type of person."

She laughed lightly at that, bringing one hand up to toy with the top button of his shirt. "I caught on to that with all the scowling. It suits you, though."

"Smiling suits you." he said gruffly, letting his hand slip from her hair to touch the corner of her mouth with his thumb. She turned her head into the caress, making his thumb slid across her lips. She pursed them, giving the pad a kiss, then she opened her lips and sucked, her tongue sliding against his skin. Stannis felt his breath catch in his throat and he squeezed her thigh tighter.

"Sansa," he croaked out her name, then cleared his throat. He wasn't sure what he was going to say, but ended up not saying anything as she pulled away from his thumb, one hand holding his wrist in place as she lifted each finger in turn, kissing the pads lightly, or licking between them. Stannis had no idea his fingers were such an erogenous zone, but he felt every touch, every wet slid of her tongue in his pants.

Once she'd finished with each, she flipped his hand over in hers and ran her thumb over his knuckles.

"You have beautiful hands." she whispered, then kissed the back of his hand. Stannis had never put much, or any, thought into how his hands looked. He glanced at it now, held in hers. It looked large in comparison. His skin was a shade darker than hers, the back of his hand covered in a light dusting of black hair. Veins stood out a bit, and he'd been told by a few nurses that he had good veins for sticking. A scar cut in between his thumb and forefinger. His knuckles were rough. His palms calloused.

They were hands. Just hands.

He lifted a brow at Sansa in amusement. "They do their job."

"Elegant hands."

"They carry a gun for a living." he reminded her. "They aren't elegant."

"Maybe." she smiled at him, bringing his hand back up and making it cup her cheek. "But they're beautiful all the same." she gave him a cheeky grin. "And they do some pretty efficient work outside of holding a gun, if I remember correctly."

"Mm." he tightened his fingers along her jawline and brought her face closer to his. "I could say the same for your hands." And then he kissed her, softly at first, letting them get reaquainted with one another, but she parted her lips willingly and his desire, the slow build up and need, poured out of him and into her. He could lose track of time completely kissing her. She was so soft and willing and met each and every move he made with one of her own. Her scent clouded his head, her taste coating his tongue. Everything was Sansa in those moments.

His arm had gone around her back and pulled her so she was sitting sideways in his lap, his other hand was currently working its way up under her shirt and teasing her rib cage. Sansa tore her mouth away and they both took a deep breath, but Stannis went right back to kissing her, down her chin and along her throat. Sansa moaned, the vibrations tickling against his lips. His body throbbed at the sound. He groaned against her neck when she started wiggling in his lap, her bottom grinding into his hard on. He found himself rocking up into her motion for more stimulation.

"Stannis." she moaned his name. He answered her by sucking greedily on her collar bone. Then her hands tightened in his hair and gave a gentle tug. "Stannis!"

 _Oh._ That hadn't been her moaning his name in pleasure. She actually wanted his attention.

Stannis quickly lifted his head and met her gaze.

"Sorry." she smiled at him, fingers tracing his cheekbone. "This position is actually killing my back. Could we move to the bed?"

"Of course." he quickly agreed. It should have been obvious to him. With her height, when she sat in his lap like she was, she had to bend down to reach his mouth. And sitting sideways had required her to twist around. Sansa smiled at him again, then dropped a kiss on the tip of his nose before standing. Once she was up, he bent forward and pulled his socks off, stuffing them in his shoes under the coffee table.

She was on him again the second he stood, her mouth fused to his again, her tongue searching his out. Her hands were running through the back of his hair, pulling frantically at the buttons of his shirt, more than likely ripping a few off. Stannis pulled his mouth away to scold her treatment of his attire. He was a cop, after all. It wasn't like he had endless amounts of clothing funds. Especially with a teenage daughter.

His words came out as a drawn out moan when her hands abandoned his shirt and cupped his erection and balls through his trousers.

"You feel better than I remembered." she whispered, watching her hands as she massaged him through his clothing.

Stannis remembered last time. Hell's, he couldn't get it out of his mind even if he tried. As fantastic as it had been, it was rather embarrassing to remember how quickly she got him off that first time.

Determined to make a better first showing, he gathered both her wrists in his hands and pulled them behind her to rest at her lower back. Leaning over her slightly bent posture, he licked up the side of her neck and nipped her ear, then sucked on it to soothe the sting.

Her startled sound of enjoyment unleashed something in him. Something he normally kept a tight lid on. An impulsive side that at times could be rough. Using his height and strength against her, he walked her back towards the direction of the bed, then gave her a shove so she fell back on it. She landed with a soft umph, but smiled up at him while he went to work on the buttons of her jeans.

Good. At least she was okay with this. He would have stopped if she showed in indication that she didn't like it. Judging from the flush on her face and the way she eagerly lifted her hips as he pulled her jeans free, she liked it.

Once her jeans were off, he urged her back on the mattress so he could climb on between her thighs. She sat up so she could scoot easier, lifting her shirt off and tossing it towards the sofa as she did.

Her panties were black satin trimmed with red lace. They contrasted almost harshly with her pale skin. He had a strange desire to shove them in his pocket and take them home with him when he left.

He'd figure out how to go about that later. Right now, he wanted to make her come. And possibly scream his name when she did so.

Kissing his way up her belly until he reached her bra, he silently thanked the inventor of front closure bras. With a quick flick of his fingers, her breasts spilled free and he wasted no time on paying those full mounds the proper attention they so rightly deserved. When she was writhing under him, panting hard and her fingernails were starting to scratch his scalp, he moved back down her belly. He looked up the length of her torso as he raked his teeth over the jut of her hipbone just above the line of her knickers. She shivered and her eyes opened heavily.

Hooking his fingers in the band of her panties, he sat up on his knees and tugged so she would lift her legs for him. Once she did, he lifted the panties free of her feet and fisted them in one hand. Trying to distract her from that fact, he put a forearm against the bend of her knees and pushed both her legs down and to her chest, effectively opening her up for him.

"Is this okay?" he rasped when her eyes went wide and a panicked look crossed her face.

"I don't like being held down." she whispered. Stannis immediatly removed his arm and let her legs fall to either side of his own on the mattress.

She smiled at him and bit her bottom lip. "Better. Thank you."

Nodding, Stannis kissed her hip. Wanting to make up for his unconscious blunder, he kissed and licked a line across the top of her pelvis to her other hip. Shifting down on the bed, he rained kisses down one thigh, then up the other. When he was certain Sansa was sufficiently distracted, he shoved the panties in his front pocket and then took a gentle hold on the inside of her thighs.

Going down on a partner had always been a means to an end. It was a job to be done to get a woman ready for him, or to repay a favour. It was never done for the joy of doing it. It wasn't a fun job. It was quite difficult and although he didn't have a problem with the taste, it wasn't his favourite thing.

Looking at Sansa's exposed centre, at how shiny wet she already was, at how the cropped bundle of curls were the same colour as the hair on her head, how pink she was, how swollen she already looked, and he thought that maybe this might be different.

Because Sansa was different.

Using his thumbs to hold her apart and make his job easier, he gave one long, slow lick from her opening to her curls.

"Oh." she whined, her hips coming off the bed. She tasted vaguely like he recalled his past partners tasting. Mostly like licking his own skin, a bit salty, just softer and wetter and a hint of bitterness.

It wasn't the taste that turned him on about the act, though. It wasn't even the scent of her arousal, which if he were being honest he could happily drown in. It was the fact that Sansa was allowing him to do something so intimate for her, that he was bringing her pleasure. The noises she made didn't hurt anything, either.

Knowing she perferred a light hand and indirect stimulation, he worked the tip of his tongue in tight circles around the rapidly swelling bundle of her clitoris. When she was close to sobbing, he worked two fingers inside of her and started pumping in time with the rotation of his tongue. He groaned against her when he felt her walls flutter around his fingers, wishing it were his cock feeling it instead. When her hips lifted with a sob, he actually felt the bundle of nerves against his tounge throb and the sheath around his fingers got a whole lot wetter.

He stayed doing what he was doing until she pulled her hips away from him. With shaky hands and jerky movements, he sat up on his knees and quickly pulled a condom out of his pocket. Holding it in his teeth, he fumbled around until his trousers were undone and pushed far enough down that he could pull out his cock and get himself covered.

It would have gone a lot faster and more smoothly if his hands hadn't been shaking.

Looking down at Sansa, he found her watching him with a dazed look on her face. When their eyes connected she smiled at him and shifted her legs further apart as she lifted both arms out for him. Falling onto her, he got one of her knees hooked around his arm to hold her open. Lining himself up with his other hand, he thrust fully into her. He wanted to give her a moment to adjust. Mentally he was screaming at his muscles to just hold still.

Obviously his muscles weren't listening to that part of his anatomy because he just couldn't stop thrusting into her.

"Fuck." he grunted, rising further up onto his knees and holding himself up with his hands braced beside her. "Fuck, Sansa. Are you okay?"

She nodded frantically, her eyes squeezed shut. "Yes. Gods, Stannis." her eyes fluttered open. "You feel so good."

The noise he made then was most aptly described as a growl. His hips started moving a little faster now he knew she was alright.

"Is this alright?" he asked, remembering she said she didn't like being held down.

"Wonderful." she sighed, her hands coming up to hold onto his biceps.

Yeah. It felt fucking wonderful. Too wonderful. He knew a lot of women couldn't get off with simple penetration, which is why he ensured she came before he fucked her, but he wanted her to come again. His motives weren't all that selfless. He did want her to enjoy herself, but he also wanted to feel those flutters arounds his cock. He wanted to feel how tight she got around him when she came.

"What can I do to help you get there?" he asked, his voice broken and panting from his motions.

"I get off easier if I'm on top."

Nodding, Stannis slowed his hips to a stop, and then reluctantly pulled out. Rolling onto his back, he helped Sansa position herself over him. When she started lowering herself on to him, her head thrown back and breasts thrust forward, eyes closed in a look of pure ecstasy, he thought maybe this hadn't been the best of ideas. The visual stimuli of seeing Sansa naked above him would likely have him coming even faster.

Gripping her hips until he knew there would be marks later, Stannis ground his teeth together until she finally brought him fully inside of her.

"Stannis." at his name being whispered, Stannis forced his eyes open to look at her. She was breathing hard, her eyes half shut and her cheeks blazing red. "You're so much deeper this way."

 _Gods_ , like he needed her to remind him. He could feel it, damn it.

Instead of moving like he really needed her to, she sat still on top of him and began undoing the last remaining buttons of his shirt. Once they were finished, she pushed the sides of the shirt off his torso and pushed up his undershirt until she could run her hands over his abs and chest. It amused him a little at how enraptured she always seemed by his chest hair.

"Sansa." he rasped her name. "Sansa, if you don't start fucking me soon my head might explode." Or he might embarrass himself by coming from no stimulation at all.

Her breath caught at his words but she braced her hands just under his pecs and started to slowly shift back and forth, rubbing herself against him. It was maddening and felt so damn good, but it wasn't enough stimulation. He needed that thrusting motion to get off. Lifting his knees so they were bent and his feet were braced on the mattress, he held on to her hips and began thrusting up into her, still allowing her to grind against him as he was certain that's how it was easier for her to come like this.

He was a sweating, grunting, panting mess that was hanging on with just a fingernail by the time she started coming. The second he was sure she was, he stopped holding back and started lifting into her so hard and fast that she collapsed onto him, one hand braced on the mattress next to his head and the other held tightly to the headboard.

She screamed. That fact managed to filter through his pleasure riddled mind as he moaned out his own release, holding her hips tightly down on his as he shoved into her as far as he could go.

"Talk about tension relief." Sansa muttered once she rolled off of him and was curled up to his side.

Stannis grunted his agreement. That had been most...relaxing. And he hadn't even gotten his clothes all the way off. Currently, he was laying in her bed with his button up shoved half off, his undershirt pushed up over his chest, and his pants still around his knees. Getting up from the bed to deal with the condom had been rather undignified, but at least he only had to pull his pants up to be fully clothed again once he finished cleaning up in the bathroom.

Figuring she might also want to clean up some, he wet a cloth for her before leaving the bathroom. He found her still in bed with the same paisley throw she'd wrapped around herself that first evening tossed over her nakedness.

"Here." he handed her the cloth, then made himself busy by going to the kitchen and filling a glass with water so she could have privacy to clean up.

"You have work tomorrow?" she asked after a few moments. Stannis turned around and found her sitting on the edge of the bed now, the throw blanket wrapped around her like a toga.

"I do." he finished off the water and refilled the glass before bringing it to her.

He'd forgotten once he was here that this was supposed to be only sex. It was easy to forget when they had talked so comfortably for so long. And he didn't think of much when he was actually having sex with her. Now, he felt on shaky ground again. What was the proper etiquette here? Did he say thank you and leave?

He didn't want to leave. He wanted to take these damn sweaty clothes off and climb back into bed with her and hold her naked body against his while they both fell asleep.

He stayed quiet, waiting to see if she would give him a cue as to what he should do.

"I'm on birth control." was what she blurted out. Stannis stared at her for a beat, confused at that out of nowhere comment.

"That's...smart."

Sansa laughed and shook her head. "No, that's not...I meant, I'm on birth control so if you don't want to keep using a condom, we don't have to. I'm healthy, if that helps. I can have a copy made of my bloodwork if it would make you more comfortable."

For a long moment, Stannis couldn't think of anything to say. Couldn't think of anything at all except how she might feel without a layer of latex between them. He hadn't felt a woman that way since he had talked Selyse into trying for a child.

"I don't think that will be necessary." he finally said. "I...trust you're telling the truth. And I'm completely healthy as well. The Department requires biannual blood work."

"Good. But, uh," she flushed a bit and looked down at the fabric of the throw as she worried it between her fingers. "If we're going to do it that way, then I'm going to have to insist you tell me if you have another partner. I don't want to take any sort of risks."

Stannis frowned at her. Did she really think he would fuck around with another woman while he was with her? But, he wasn't really _with_ her, was he? No, he was just fucking her. So it was completely justifiable that she thought he might do so with someone else.

"There's no one else." The tension in her shoulders seemed to relax at that, but she still didn't look at him.

"If there ever is, though, you'll tell me?" He wanted to tell her there wouldn't be. He wanted to assure her that he would be completely faithful to her. But he worried that might make this... _thing_ they were doing more. And he wasn't sure if he wanted more. Or if she wanted more.

"Of course." he finally said. "I will require the same courtesy from you."

Her eyes snapped up to his at that. "Yes. I mean, no. Well, yes. You have that promise. And no, there isn't anyone else. There won't be, either."

Stannis felt an unwelcome surge of pure, unaltered jealousy rage through him at the thought of Sansa with another man. It actually made him a bit nauseous. He felt his hands curl into fists and knew without a doubt that the scowl on his face was thunderous.

Tipping his head back and looking at her ceiling, he took a deep breath and calmed himself down. Once he was certain he wouldn't break something if he touched it, he went to the sofa and pulled on his socks and shoes.

"Thank you for coming over tonight." she said as she followed him to the door. "I've had a rough few days. This was a nice way to make up for it all."

Stannis frowned again. He didn't like how this felt like a business transaction. Turning to face her as she held open the door for him, he grabbed hold of the edge of the door with one hand above the one she had there and her face with the other. Swooping in before she could say anything, he kissed her hard and fast until he couldn't think of anything other than how damn good she felt, how good she tasted.

When he needed to breathe again, he pulled away, satisfied that Sansa looked as dazed and affected as he felt.

"I'll call you." he told her, running a thumb over her bottom lip before turning and leaving.

It wasn't until he was back home and undressing in the bathroom with the shower running that he remembered what was in his pocket.

Pulling out the panties, he stared at them for a long time, waiting for the feeling of shame at having stolen an article of her clothing to come. When it never did, he folded the underwear up and took them to his bedroom to hide them in his nightstand.

Halfway through his shower it hit him why he felt so shitty leaving her that night, and why he felt such rage at the thought of her with another man.

He _did_ want to go on a date with her. He _did_ want to spend the night. He _did_ want to promise her that there would never be another woman while she was with him, because he _did_ want to be with her. Really be with her.

But, what if she didn't want those things? What if all she wanted was what they were doing? She'd given no indication she wanted more. She was the one who had suggested this. And he refused to make a complete fool of himself over a woman who didn't return his sentiments. He also didn't want to give up what they were doing already, ruining it all by declaring he wanted things she didn't.

He'd be silent about it, for now at least. Maybe there was some way he could show her there could be more between them. That it could be good.

Stannis had a feeling he was going to need help figuring out how to do that.

Davos was the one he normally went to when he needed advice. It had never been advice on how to court a much younger woman. Still, Davos was a married man. Happily married for many years and Stannis still at times caught his friend and Marya in some darkened corner snogging like a couple of teens. It was uncouth and horribly embarrassing to have witnessed such things, but surely Davos knew what he was doing if there was still that type of heat between him and his wife.

Stannis had a fleeting thought that Jon would be a good source of advice. Women all but swooned in his wake. But Stannis could not, _would not_ , ask advice on how best to woo a woman from that womans own brother. He wasn't that desperate.

Yet.


	6. Chapter 6

Sansa paused at the makeup counter just inside the store, picking up a tube of lipstick and wondering if the colour would clash too much with her hair and skin tone. She also found herself wondering what it would look like on Stannis' skin after she kissed him. She would almost bet that it would be the same shade of his flushed cock once it rubbed off on his skin.

"If you keeping blushing like that naturally you'll put makeup companies out of business." Margaery teased, giving her a wink when Sansa looked at her.

"What's going on in that pretty little head of yours?" She asked as they moved further into the store. "You've been distracted the last few times we've hung out."

Sansa thought back to the last two weeks. Stannis had come to her studio three more times since they'd talked about her birth control and no longer using condoms. She had absolutely no idea that having sex without one would feel so different. It was heaven.

"Just busy with school, is all." Sansa fibbed, picking up a yellow dress off the rack and holding it up to herself.

"Too bright." Margaery scrunched her nose up. "It washes out your skin." Sansa nodded in agreement and replaced the dress.

"Where you at school when you got that hickey on the back of your neck?" Margaery asked casually, putting a purple fedora on her head and checking her reflection in a mirror. Sansa's hand automatically shot to the back of her neck, her palm covering where she knew the mark would be.

Stannis had given it to her two nights ago, the last time she seen him. They'd been laying down on their sides, spooning while he thrust into her from behind, one of her legs pulled back over his hips. He'd bitten down on her neck when he came.

Sansa gave a shiver at the memory.

She'd left her hair down to hide it. How had Margaery seen it?

"I seen it when you had me zip that dress up two stores back." Margaery answered her unspoken question, tossing the fedora back on its rack and turning to smirk as Sansa. "So, where you at school when you got it?"

"No." Sansa felt her face heat up so she turned and became very interested in the scarf collection in front of her.

"So, who was it from?"

"Are scarves still in fashion?" Sansa ignored her question. "Or are they last season? I never really could get into that fad."

"Still in style, but not for summer. You can wear them again in the fall. And don't ignore my question, pretty girl."

Sansa sighed, knowing Margaery wouldn't leave her alone until she talked. "Fine. It was a man. But we're not...it's nothing serious. I don't think he wants people to know we're together."

"Ah!" Margaery scoffed, making an offended face. "What type of idiot wouldn't want the whole known world to know he was with you?"

Sansa frowned and shrugged. "It's not that simple, Margie. And I don't think it's because he's embarrassed of me or anything like that."

"What is it, then? Did he meet Arya and decide he never wanted to be around such impropriety again?"

Sansa laughed at that. Actually, yeah. Stannis had met Arya before and knew just how her sister could be. The thought of what Arya would say to Stannis if she ever found out the were together was also amusing. She had a feeling Arya would be far more threatening and protective then Jon, Bran, and Rickon combined.

"It's a long story."

"Well," Margie put a hand on her shoulder and made her look directly at her. "I'll say this, you're a catch. Don't let some guy make you think you're not. If you're happy with this arrangement, then more power to you, sweetie. But if you aren't, then know there are plenty other fish in the sea. Specifically fish named Willas Tyrell who would just _love_ to show you off and has the best sister in the world whom would adore a sister-in-law as her other brother has only brought home Renly Baratheon."

"Oh, hush." Sansa gently shoved her friend. "You love Renly. He's basically the sister you never had."

"Okay, fine, I do adore Renly." Margie waved her off. "It still doesn't take away from the fact I would love it if you became part of the family as well."

"Margie, you're getting your hopes up for nothing." Sansa told her. "I don't fancy Willas and Willas doesn't fancy me."

"Says who?"

"Says Willas!" Sansa laughed. "When we all went to Dorne last year and you and Loras not so subtly tried to get us together."

Margaery frowned. "Willas is an idiot. Anyway," she shook off the frown like a cheap wrap. "Loras bought a new house and is having a pool party this weekend. You should come."

Sansa eyed her friend suspeciously. "Will you try to set me up with Willas again if I come?"

Margaery laughed. "No, silly girl. Willas won't even be there. He's gone back to Highgarden for the summer."

"Alright, I'll come." she linked her arm through Margie's. "Let's go look at swimsuits."

 

`

 

Stannis sat at the back patio table, drumming his fingers on the tiles while he watched Devan and Stan arguing with each other over the grill. Shireen was with Marya inside, making some sort of salad or side dish.

"How old were you when you met Marya?" He asked Davos, who was sitting next to him, without looking in his direction.

"A teenager when I first met her." Stannis could see Davos looking at him from the corner of his eyes, but still didn't turn towards him. "Why do you ask?"

"How did you manage to get her to..." he waved a hand, unsure how to ask what he was wanting to ask.

"Take notice of me?" Davos supplied. Stannis nodded. "The usual way, I suppose. I asked her out on a date."

"Just like that?" Stannis glanced over at his friend. "You just asked her and she said yes?"

Davos sat back in his chair, one hand rubbing at his beard as he thought back. "No, I suppose not. She turned me down the first time."

"Who turned you down the first time?" Marya asked, coming out the patio doors with a bowl of fruit in her hands.

"You did." Davos smiled at his wife. "Several times, if memory serves."

"Five." Marya returned his smile and sat the bowl on the table. "You were always persistent, though."

"Why did you change your mind?" Stannis asked, trying to sound casual. Marya turned to face him with a surprised expression. He couldn't blame her. It wasn't like Stannis had ever asked about their past before.

"He was genuine." she put her hands on her hips and cocked her head in thought. "He took his time and showed with actions rather than words that he wasn't just messing about. He learned my likes and preferences so that when I did accept, he knew to bring caramels instead of chocolate and carnations instead of roses, stolen from the shop I do believe." she laughed, looking back at her husband.

Davos looked guilty and a little embarrassed. "Yes, well, I was lacking for funds in those days."

Marya shook her head and kissed Davos' forehead. "I have trouble even remembering what we did on our first date. I just remember that he listened when I spoke and actually cared about what I said."

"And that I was a perfect gentleman and ended the night with a kiss on the cheek when I dropped you back off at your fathers." Davos grinned.

Marya huffed and rolled her eyes. "Hardly." she looked back at Stannis. "Do you have a date with a woman coming up? Is that why you're asking?"

Stannis blanched. Of course she would pick up on that. "No." he answered honestly.

"Is there a woman you'd like to ask on a date?" Davos tried.

Stannis ground his teeth together and looked back out at the garden without answering.

"It's not that dreadful Asshai woman, is it?" Davos' voice dripped with disdain. He made no effort to conceal his dislike for Stannis' occasional choice of bed partner. Not that Stannis could really blame him. Mel was a crazy woman. That's precisely why he never even considered dating the woman.

"No."

"Ah, good." Davos relaxed a bit. "So, who is it?"

Stannis glanced back towards the open patio doors. He didn't want Shireen hearing about this right now. Marya noticed the direction of his focus and must have realized his hesitancy.

"I'll go help Shireen with the desserts."

"So?" Davos prompted once she was gone.

"If I tell you, you must promise me that this conversation never leaves the two of us." Stannis leveled Davos with a steady gaze.

"Of course." Davos assured him. "Do you really even need to say that?" Stannis supposed he didn't, but it still felt prudent.

"Sansa Stark."

For a long moment, Davos stared at him blankly. Then both brows shot to his hair line and a smile started curling the corner of his mouth. Damn him and his amusement.

"She's quite young, isn't she?"

"She's 25." Stannis could tell Davos was doing the math in his head. "It's a fifteen year difference, Davos."

"Right." Davos nodded. "Well, that's not so bad then. Is it?"

Stannis supposed it wasn't, in the realm of things. He knew of couples with a far larger age difference. Hells, Robert had been with women more than 20 years his junior. Not that Robert was a person to emulate.

"Does she know of your interest?" Davos asked when Stannis offered nothing more.

"She knows of an...interest, yes."

"And she doesn't seem opposed to this interest?"

Stannis thought of how Sansa's body felt wrapped around his. How wet she got for him, how loud she moaned and sobbed his name. How her walls felt tightening around his cock as she came.

Flushed, Stannis jerked himself out of his thoughts. "No. She doesn't seem entirely opposed."

"Then ask her out!" Stannis glared at Davos' excited outburst. Even Stan and Devon looked back at them from the grill.

"She is Jon's sister."

"And?" Davos raised a brow at him.

"And isn't there some sort of honour code between men about fu..." he cut himself off abruptly. "Courting ones sister?"

Davos smirked at him. "Which is it, Stannis? Do you want to court the girl, or just bed her?"

Stannis thought of all the times he had already had Sansa in bed. Yes, he wanted to keep bedding her. But he also wanted to court her. Properly.

Was it even called courting now a days?

"Don't be crass, Davos." Stannis warned him.

"It's a pertinent question. If it were my sister you were wanting to court,"

"You don't have a sister."

"It's a hypothetical scenario." Stannis scoffed and motioned for him to go on. "Anyway, if it were my sister you were wanting to court, and you were a good, honourable man that would treat her good,"

"Well."

Davos rolled his eyes. " _Treat her well_ , and she wanted the courtship as well, I wouldn't see how I could have any qualms about such a relationship. Now, if you were just wanting to get in her knickers and use her solely for pleasure, that I would take issue with."

"What if that is what she wanted as well?"

"I'd say as her brother, I need not know about it then. There are some things sibblings, brothers and sisters specifically, turn a blind eye to."

Stannis nodded and thought about all Davos had said, applying the words to his and Sansa's situation. It seemed logical. He just hoped Jon would see it that way if Sansa did accept.

"How do you know so much about brother-sister relationships if you don't have a sister yourself?" Stannis asked.

Davos grinned and shrugged. "Marya has three brothers. One of which I was good friends with before Marya and I got together."

"Uncle Davos!" Shireen's voice shouted from the house. "Dad! Come help carry out the food and plates."

Both men stood and started towards the house when Davos grabbed his arm and stopped him. "Just a word of caution, Sansa and all the Starks have been delt shit hands over and over in life. Don't become another bad deal for her."

*

After dinner was over at the Seaworths, Stannis and Shireen drove in silence towards their building.

"What were you and Uncle Davos talking about before dinner?" Shireen asked. Stannis shot her a surprised look before turning his gaze back on the road, hoping she hadn't heard anything.

"You just looked pretty intent on whatever he was saying." She went on. "I was just worried something may be going on at work."

Stannis relaxed. Without a mother and with Stannis not having a significant other, the worry of his job fell fully on Shireen's shoulders. It was a weight she always carried with grace.

"Everything at work is fine." he assured her.

Shireen let out a breath and smiled. "Good." she was silent for a while longer. "Have you talked to uncle Renly?"

"In passing." he glanced at her. "About what?"

"He's having a house warming party and there's a pool. He told me that you and I should come."

Stannis thought about the last time he'd talked to Renly. He had mentioned closing on his house, but nothing of a party.

"This weekend?" Stannis asked.

"Yes."

"I have to work this weekend."

"Couldn't we go when you got off? Just for a few hours?" Stannis looked at his daughters hopeful face. She normally never pressed him for anything. She must really want to go.

"Why do you want to attend?"

"Myrcella is with uncle Robert this weekend and she'll be there. I haven't seen her in months and miss her is all."

Stannis thought it over. He didn't so much want to spend time with his brothers, but he hadn't in quite some time. A few hours wouldn't kill him, especially if it made Shireen happy to get to spend time with her cousin.

"Alright." he nodded. "We can go. But only for a few hours."

The brightness of Shireen's smile would likely make up for the tension of spending an evening in the same place as Robert. At least he now came without the added torture of Cersei Lannister.

Maybe he'd call Sansa the next day. Spending an evening in her presence would surely erase any lingering memories of time with his brothers. And that wasn't to mention what being inside of her could make him forget.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think!!


	7. Chapter 7

When Sansa got the text from Margie that she was waiting downstairs, she quickly tossed her keys and sunscreen inside her bag and slipped on her sandals . Grabbing her sunhat from the hook beside the door, she locked up and ran down to the waiting town car.

Because Tyrell's did not use taxis.

"That sundress is adorbs!" was Margie's greeting once Sansa slipped into the backseat. Sansa smoothed down the skirt of the simple blue cotton dress she wore over her bathing suit.

"Thank you." Sansa took in Margaery's bohemian style maxi dress with all its colours. "You look lovely as well."

"Any risk of your suit showing off more hickeys?" Margie asked with a sly grin. "Perhaps in risqué places?"

"Magaery." Sansa sighed her name, shaking her head. "Honestly."

"Alright, I won't tease too harshly." she laughed. "But I will get it out of you who this mystery man is with a penchant for love bites."

Sansa smiled and rolled her eyes. She had no doubt Margie was speaking true. Sansa was actually curious what her friends reaction would be if she did find out it was Stannis Baratheon leaving marks on her skin. The only one who knew was Ygritte, but she only knew that Sansa was infatuated with him, not that they were having sex. And Ygritte was different. She had been raised in a different sort of social structure, where basically anything was acceptable and nothing was off limits when it came to sex.

"Will Oberyn be there today?" Sansa shifted the focus towards Margie by bringing up her current boy toy.

"Oberyn?" Margaery laughed. "Gracious, no. That was a, how shall I word this, a very short, very satisfying, very hot relationship that one does not bring to the attention of her brothers. Especially since Loras and Renly were discussing bringing him in for a threesome. Knowing Oberyn, he'd likely agree."

Alright, so maybe Ygritte and Margaery were more alike in their sexual openess then Sansa had thought.

"So, who's the new flavour, then?" Judging from the wicked gleam in Margaery's eyes, there was definetly a new flavour.

"He's what one would call a...refined flavour. Well aged, too." Margaery hummed. "And very well experianced. Again, not one to bring around the family."

"Well aged?" Sansa gave her friend a confused look. Did she mean he was an old man? What would Margie be doing with an old man? It wasn't as if she needed a sugar daddy.

"Not elderly, but quite a bit older than I am. I think he's closer to forty."

Hm. That's how old Stannis was. And Margaery was two years older than herself.

"That doesn't seem like such an age difference." Sansa told her, hoping if Margaery agreed it would make her more accepting if and when she learned about Stannis.

"I suppose not." Margie shrugged. "It's not like I care about such things anyway. We like each other, are more than compatable in bed, and he is honestly the funniest person I've ever met."

"Does this man have a name?"

"Bronn Blackwater." Margaery said with her nose scrunched and her lip between her teeth. Sansa felt her mouth drop open.

"Tyrion Lannister's bodyguard?" her voice squeeked out.

"Yes, that's how we met actually. Tyrion and Willas were doing some business together recently and I met Bronn."

Sansa brought to mind the memory of Tyrion's bodyguard. It had been quite some time since she'd seen him. Being the DA, Tyrion often worked with the police department. Bronn, from what she could recall, was a rough looking man, not unattractive, with dark features. She didn't have any memory of him actually speaking.

"Well, good on you I suppose."

"Yes, thank you." Margie shoved her shoulder. "At least I'm not the one keeping secrets from my best friend."

Sansa just gave Margaery a smirk. She wasn't giving in that easy.

*

The house Loras bought was on the outskirts of town. A single story sprawling modern style home and perfectly manicured gardens. He greeted Sansa and Margaery at the door.

"Good afternoon, ladies." he kissed his sisters cheek, then Sansa's. "You both look lovely."

"Hush, Loras." Margaery waved him off. "And show me around this lovley house."

Loras showed them where they could put their bags and Sansa's sunhat, then led them around the place, pointing out features and details and explaining the effort that went into getting everything just right.

"Renly picked the art for this room." Loras explained in a distasteful tone, leading them into what looked like an entertainment room. The art in here was darker, realist instead of abstract like most of the other rooms.

"You let Renly decorate a room?" Sansa asked, running her fingers along the edge of the leather sofa that sat in front of a massive flat screen TV.

"Well, it is his house also."

Sansa turned and looked at Loras. "I didn't know you two were living together now."

"Yes, that's why we bought this house together." Loras shrugged. "He didn't like my flat and I absolutely detested his house. So we decided to start from scratch."

"Loras!" a voice shouted from the hall. "Where are you at?"

"The entertainment room, dear!" Loras shouted back with heavy sarcasm. A second later Renly came into the room, shirtless and wearing only swim trunks.

"I've finished the maragritas, and I assure you they are much better if drank poolside." he looked back at Margaery and smiled. "Margie, darling! You're here."

"Renly, dear." Margaery hugged him, and they exchanged kisses on the cheeks.

"And Sansa." Renly moved to her and gave her cheek a kiss. "Lovely to see you as well. I'm glad you could make it. Now," he clapped his hands. "The pool is waiting."

It was a stunningly gorgeous pool. Large with mosaic paintings on the bottom. A water fountain decorated one side and a tanning shelf the other. A large gazebo sat near it, a huge covered patio offered shade and a built in grill and fireplace, complete with another flat screen TV.

"Drinks are in the gazebo." Loras told them.

"This is lovely, you two." Sansa told them. "It's a beautiful home."

"Thank you, Sansa." Renly smiled. "Be sure to try the margaritas. They're amazing." With a parting nod, both men went off to mingle with the other guests. Sansa knew most of them. Influential people, mostly. But Robert stuck out more than anyone, and not just because of how big he was. He had been her fathers best friend, and therefor Sansa had always had a soft spot for the overly exuberant and highly inappropriate man.

"Is that my goddaughter I see?" Robert's voice boomed as he came to Sansa, wrapping her in a bone crunching hug that lifted her feet from the ground.

"Robert." she laughed, hugging him back. "It's good to see you."

"And you." he sat her feet back on the ground. "Gods, you look more like your mother every day." he shook his head a little.

"Thank you." Sansa said around a small lump in her throat. "And you look like you've lost some weight." she quickly changed the subject.

"Hardly." he chuckled. "My fat arse will stay that way for as long as I can help it. Life is too short to worry about such drival. I'll eat and drink and fuck my way to an early grave and be damn proud of it while I do."

Sansa felt her face heat up as an awkward laugh bubbled up. It was always a gamble as to what would come out of Robert's mouth.

"Sounds like a lovely way to spend life." Margaery laughed. "It was nice to see you again, Mr. Baratheon. Sansa and I were just going to get a drink."

"Of course, of course." Robert nodded. "Drink and be merry, girls. Just don't do anything I wouldn't do." he waggled his bushy brows and then ambled away towards the group of women laying out at the tanning shelf of the pool.

"That leaves us with very little rules." Margaery laughed, leading her towards the gazebo and the outdoor bar inside of it.

A few hours, several reapplications of sunscreen, and two margaritas later, Sansa found herself arguing playfully with Loras.

"You can't come to a pool party and not get wet at all." he complained.

"I most certainly can." she smiled sweetly at him from her lounge chair.

"Why did you even bother with the swimsuit, then?" he motioned towards her newly bought bathingsuit. It was a full piece, with a deep V neckline that showed enough off to make it not seem prudish. White in colour with brown and yellow floral print over it. It matched her brown sunhat.

"So I could tan." she explained. "Which is what I was doing before you came to block the sun."

"The sun is starting to go down." Loras pointed out. "Time to take a dip." Before Sansa could come up with another argument, Loras had dipped down and picked her up, throwing her over his should like a potatoe sack, her bum up in the air and her hands scrambling for purchase on his naked back as her hat fell from her head.

"Loras Tyrell!" she screamed while laughing. "You put me down this instant!"

"I will." he laughed back, his strong arms holding her firmly by the backs of her legs. "As soon as I get to the pool."

"Don't you dare!" she yelled, starting to bang her fists playfully against his back. "Seriously, Loras, don't throw me in the water."

"Sorry, love." he laughed, turning to start towards the pool. He pulled up after a few strides. "Oh, Stannis. I didn't think you were going to make it."

Sansa's laughter died quickly, her heart starting to race for something other than amusement. Bracing her hands on Loras' sides, she twisted around so she could look around Loras. And there he was. Standing near the edge of the patio, a few steps from the poolside. Shireen was next to him, smiling at the scene in front of her. Stannis was just watching with his usual scowl. His eyes shifted from Loras to lock with hers. A single brow lifted.

"Renly is in the kitchen." Loras explained casually, like he wasn't holding her over his shoulder. "Give me one second and I'll help you find him." As distracted as she was by her surprise at Stannis' appearance, it took her a moment to long to realize that Loras was in fact dumping her into the deep end of the pool. She had just a second to scream before she was submerged in the comfortably cool water. She stayed down a moment more than she needed, trying to calm herself before having to surface and face Stannis in a crowd of people.

People that were his family. People that had no idea they were sleeping together. How was she supposed to act around him? How would he act around her?

Knowing she couldn't wait any longer, she swam to the surface, pushing the little bit of hair that had fallen from her braid out of her face and wiping the water from her eyes. Looking back at where she'd last seen Stannis, she found him still there. He was watching her, but seemed to be in conversation with Loras. Treading water, she smiled at him, forgetting for the moment that their relationship was supposed to be a secret. If anyone seen the way they were looking at each other, surely it would be obvious. Nobody could possibly miss the heat in his gaze. Sansa could almost feel the intensity like a tangible caress.

 With smooth strokes, she swam to the edge of the pool and used the built in ladder to get out. Stannis watched her the whole time and she felt that familiar warm sensation spreading through out her belly and speeding her heart at his heated gaze. His eyes slid down the length of her body, catching and lingering on her fully exposed legs. She watched as his throat worked and colour rose along his cheeks. When she started walking towards him, Stannis finally lifted his eyes back to her face. When she reached where he was standing, she gave him one last smile before turning to Loras and playfully smacking his arm.

"I told you not to do that." she scolded him.

"And I told you that you can't come to a pool party without getting wet." Loras shrugged. "I tossed Margaery in as well."

"Renly hasn't gotten in the pool." she reminded him.

"Yes, well, I have to live with Renly." Loras grinned. "And I perfer a happy Renly to a pissy Renly."

"I'll get in the pool on my own." Shireen told him. "Where is Myrcella?" she asked, scanning the area.

"Already in the pool." Loras pointed to the shallow end where a group of kids and mothers were swimming.

"Go on." Stannis nodded when Shireen looked up at him. She smiled broadly and rushed to the pool, already pulling her shorts off.

"And what about you?" Sansa turned back to Stannis and smiled. "Will you get in willingly or will someone have to throw you in?"

He eyed her a moment before he spoke. "I don't have a suit." he looked at Loras. "And there will be no one throwing me into the pool."

Loras quickly nodded. "Of course. I make no promises for your eldest brother, though."

Stannis scowled harder, his eyes scanning the backyard in search of Robert.

"He's in the gazebo." Sansa told him. "Working of his third pitcher of Summer Island Iced Tea. I don't think he'll be throwing anyone anywhere."

Stannis nodded and looked at Loras. "Is Myrcella staying the night here?"

"There wasn't a plan for her to, but I'll make sure she and Tommen both stay here." Loras assured him.

"Thank you."

"I'll show you where Renly is." Sansa offered, giving Stannis a pleading look, hoping he would take her up on the offer. She really wanted to talk to him alone for a moment.

"Fine." he nodded, motioning for her to lead the way. Walking by the shelving near the fireplace, Sansa grabbed a towel and quickly patted herself dry, then wrapped it around herself. Going through the patio doors, she quickly led Stannis through the kitchen, past the laughing group of people there, including Renly, thankfully unnoticed. Going down the hall, her bare feet padding lightly against the white tile floors, she stopped when they got to the door that had led to the entertainment room. Stannis hesitated for a moment before following her inside.

Sansa pushed the door shut and turned to face him, only to be shoved up against he door. Stannis' mouth was on hers in a heartbeat, his hands everywhere. Her towel slipped off when she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and met his heated kiss with matching fire. His body pinned her to the door as his hands roughly slid down her sides and behind her to grope and squeeze at her bottom. Sansa moaned into the kiss, hitching a leg around his hips and rocking herself against the rapidly growing ridge in his pants. His mouth tore away from hers with a growl before attacking her neck. Slipping a hand under the leg band of her swimsuit, he cupped her bare bottom in one large, calloused hand, squeezing roughly as he guided her rocking motion into him as he began to thrust harder against her.

"Oh, Gods." Sansa let her head fall back against the door with a bang, eyes squeezing shut and brain overloaded with the influx of sensations. She didn't even register that he'd undone the tie at the base of her neck until he was bending to the side and sucking a nipple into his mouth.

"Ungh." was all that come out of her mouth, her hands clutching at the back of his head as he sucked and licked and toyed with her breast. He'd shifted around until his erection was perfectly straffing across her centre, coiling her insides tighter and tighter with each thrust. When the fingers of the hand cupping her bum slipped between her cheeks and ran down and around to her aching opening, she had to bite down on his shoulder so she didn't scream loud enough to alert anyone to what they were doing.

He got two fingers inside of her, a bit awkwardly from the angle, but enough to fill that empty ache a little. It wasn't but a second later that she came, her moans and cries muffled from his shoulder as her body shook against him, the leg around his hips tightening harder.

His hands were quickly gone from her body, her leg falling uselessly back to the floor. The metalic clinking of his belt being undone filtered through her hazy brain, and then he was back, kneeling slightly to grasp her thighs.

"Wrap your legs around me." he rasp and she did, holding onto his neck tightly as her feet left the floor. He relied heavily on the door to hold her weight as he shoved the crotch panel of her bathing suit out of the way and maneuvered around for a second before surging into her.

It was so quick, so hard, and so rough that Sansa gasped loudly. It felt so damn good.

"Fuck." Stannis buried his face into her neck. "Did I hurt you?"

"No." she breathed. "No, keeping going."

"It's going to be hard." he rasped, lifting his head to look at her. "I'm going to have to fuck you pretty hard and fast to keep you against this wall."

Her inner walls fluttered around him at the thought. "Yes, please."

He ground his teeth together, hoisted her up a little higher, gripped under her thighs tighter, and then began to fuck her. And he hadn't lied. It was hard and fast and Sansa tried to make it easier on him by holding his shoulders tighter, but probably made it a little harder for him since she kept rocking her hips against him with every thrust so she could get some sort of stimulation to her clit.

"Gods damn it, Sansa." Stannis panted as he fucked her. "You feel so fucking good. So damn tight and wet. Fuck, you can hear how wet you are."

Sansa flushed even more when she realized she could. Wet, sloppy, utterly _sinful_ sounds that ended with a smack of flesh against flesh. Her inner walls squeezed him tighter.

"I'm going to come." he warned her in a slightly frantic voice. "I'm... _fuck_ , I'm sorry. I can't hold on."

"Don't be sorry." she panted, a little sorry herself that she wouldn't be able to come again because this felt so good and she was pretty close. "Just go." she whispered in his ear and Stannis grunted, growling, and slammed into her one last time, heat spreading as he came, his hips pushing in and pulling out just a fraction of an inch as he climaxed. It felt so good and it was such a turn on to know he was coming, and to hear the rough, desperate noises he made had her grinding her pelvis into his, desperate to come again.

"Touch yourself." he panted into her neck. "Make yourself come, do it quick before I lose this hard on and slip out of you."

Just desperate enough, Sansa shoved a hand between them and found her nub and began rubbing at it frantically, bringing that edge closer and closer. Stannis helped out by dipping his head and sucking rhythmically on her nipple, each pull tugging her further and further up the hill until she finally came again.

"I've got to put you down, or I'm going to drop you." Stannis told her, bending his knees and releasing his shaky hold on her legs so she could stand on her own. Which wasn't as easy as she had thought. She stumbled slightly, reaching down to hold her bathing suit out of the way so the mess he'd made wouldn't spill out of her and onto it.

"Sorry." he told her when he stumbled back a step and seen what she was doing. Looking around, he knelt and picked up the towel she had around her when they came in.

"Ew, no." Sansa shook her head. "That's Loras and Renly's! What if they touch it when doing the laundry?"

"It's either this or walk out there with my come wetting that suit of yours." he pointed out. "Besides, I highly doubt Loras or Renly do the laundry. I'm sure they have a cleaning lady."

Sansa thought about it for a second. "Fine." she jerked it out of his hands, quickly cleaning up before adjusting her suit back into order. Stannis took the towel from her and cleaned himself up before fixing up his boxers and trousers.

"I'll put it in the washer." He assured her. "And tell Renly one of the kids spilled something on it. That way no one has to touch it except us."

Sansa relaxed, feeling less guilty. "Good."

Stannis grimaced and rubbed his forehead. "Sorry if that was too rough. I didn't hurt you, did I?"

Sansa smiled and stepped up to hug him. "Only enough to make me like it."

The grimace faded but he shook his head. "You'll be the death of me, woman." Still, he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Oh, but what a way to go?" she grinned, going on tiptoe to kiss him. "I take it you've missed me."

"That." he nodded. "And this damn suit. And watching you come out of that pool like some water nymph. There was no way I could have lasted the rest of the evening seeing you like this." Sansa smiled and flushed, pleased that he had such a reaction to her. But then she remembered what she had brought him here for in the first place.

"How are we going to do this?" she asked, looking at his throat instead of his face.

"Do what?"

"Be here, together without people realizing that we're...you know." she looked up at him. "Do we just ignore each other? Act like we're, like we're nothing to each other?"

Stannis frowned, stepping back from her so he could look at her better. "I don't want to ignore you. Or you to ignore me."

Sansa felt a weight lift from her chest and she took a breath with it. "So we just act like we're...friends?"

"We are friends." he said quickly, then added a little uncertaintly, "Aren't we?"

"Yes." she smiled at him, nodding. They were friends. In the time they had been...doing whatever this would be called, she'd gotten to know him a bit better. He actually seemed to enjoy the conversations they had before sex and sometimes afterwards if they weren't too tired.

"We're friends."

"I see no reason to hide that." He eyed her. "Do you?"

"No." she said quickly. "Not at all."

Stannis nodded, then hooked a hand behind her head and pulled her into a deep, slow kiss. Sansa hummed into it, wrapping her arms around him.

"I've gotten your clothes all damp." she told him once they pulled back, her hands running down his chest.

"It'll dry." he put a hand over hers and held it to his chest for a moment. "We should go, though. Before someone comes looking for us."

"Right." Sansa sighed and stepped away. It annoyed her that it was a problem that someone might find them. But Stannis had said they were friends. That was a step in the right direction at least. "Renly is in the kitchen. You head there, and I'll go to the restroom, and take care of the towel. That way we aren't seen leaving here together."

Stannis didn't answer, just nodded and moved to the door. Pausing, he turned back to look at her. "You look stunning, by the way."

Sansa felt her stomach flip and her face heat, which was ridiculous seeing as what they had just done, but his compliment warmed her in a way she couldn't explain.

"Yes, you demonstrated that quite well." she teased. "Thank you." she added the last bit in a serious tone. Stannis looked uncomfortable for a second, then pulled himself up into his normal imposing, scowling self. With a nod, he opened the door and left.

Feeling giddy and a little silly for it, Sansa scooped up the used towel, careful of where to touch, and headed the opposite direction as Stannis and used the restroom, freshening up a little better. Once done, she headed to the laundry room and found there was a soaking sink next to the washer. Feeling guilty about what was on the towel, she turned the sink on and soaked the towel.

Going back into the kitchen, she found Stannis sitting on a barstool at the island bar, Renly leaned against it on the other side and talking about keeping Shireen for the night.

"Not if Robert is staying here."

"He isn't." Renly assured him. "Robert's new lady love showed up a while ago. He's going home with her. And I'm making sure Myrcella and Tommen stay here. The girls would enjoy spending the night together."

"If Shireen wants to, I don't mind."

Renly nodded, then noticed Sansa coming out of the hall. "Sansa! I heard Loras managed to dunk you."

"I don't see how you put up with him sometimes." Sansa teased, taking the barstool next to Stannis.

"Love is blind." Renly shrugged. "Did you find the restroom alright?"

"Yes." Sansa felt her face heat and noticed Stannis sit up a bit straighter. "I was able to manage. I also put a towel in your soaking sink in the laundry. I cleaned up a spilled drink and didn't want it to stain the towel."

"Oh." Renly shrugged. "That wasn't necessary. Mira is a wonderful cleaning lady and brilliant when it comes to stains. She could have managed. But, thank you."

"It was nothing." Sansa cleared her throat and waved him off. "So, I hear you're hosting a slumber party tonight?"

"Just Myrcella, Shireen, and Tommen. They all adore their uncle Renly. I am the favourite uncle, after all." he smirked at Stannis

"Your competition is Robert Baratheon." Stannis reminded him. "Don't let it inflate your ego too much."

"Ah, but you forget, when it comes to Myrcella and Tommen, _you_ are my competition."

"Along with Tyrion and Jaime Lannister." Stannis pointed out. "Tyrion, who takes them to Westro-Disney every year and bought Myrcella a pony last year. And Jaime, who gets Myrcella backstage passes to all the concerts that she wants and brings Tommen with him to all the fashion shoots he works security for."

"Oohh, I think Tyrion and Jaime might win best uncles there." Sansa laughed.

"Fine, fine. So I'm their third favourite uncle." Renly conceded. "But I'm still better than you."

"All a matter of opinion, I suppose." Sansa grinned and winked at Stannis. Before he could say anything, or Renly could get his jaw closed, Sansa slid off the stool.

"I think I'm going to be going." she told Renly. "I had a lovely time. Thank you for having me."

"You're welcome any time." he returned her hug.

"Thank you." she glanced in Stannis' direction. "I'll just go find Loras and make my goodbyes."

"I should check on Shireen." Stannis stood as well, following Sansa outside.

"You'll be kid free tonight." Sansa casually said as they made their way out onto the patio.

"So it seems." he paused at the edge of the patio and watched Shireen sitting with Myrcella on the tanning shelf, the lights of the pool and the string lights hanging everywhere making it easy to see even in the falling darkness.

"When you leave, you should give me a call." Sansa turned to him, giving him a hopeful smile.

Stannis swallowed hard, then looked back at the pool. "I have work in the morning."

"Oh." she deflated a bit. It was getting a bit late. It would make sense that he'd want to go home and go to bed instead of coming to her place.

"I just meant that it would be easier for me if you came to my place tonight."

"Oh." she said again, smiling this time.

"And, if...if you like, you could stay." he scratched the back of his neck nervously. "The night."

"I'd like that." she resisted the urge to pull him into a hug and kiss the daylights out of him. That wouldn't go over well considering they were in front of a lot of people, including his teenage daughter.

Stannis took a deep breath. "I'll call when I leave. Give me a half hour."

"Of course." she couldn't help leaning in to kiss his cheek, but that seemed acceptable. A lot of the people here greeted each other the same way. Renly and Loras always did, and so did Robert.

Enjoying the way his ears tinged red, Sansa went back to the chair she'd been sitting in before Loras had picked her up. Margaery was sitting there, a smug smile on her face.

"And just where have you been, pretty girl?"

"The restroom and talking with Renly." she picked up her dress where it was draped over the back of the chair and slipped it on.

"Uh huh." Margaery grinned. "And since when does Stannis 'I forgot how to smile' Baratheon make you blush?"

Sansa sighed and internally kicked herself. Of course Margie had noticed her with Stannis. And the blush.

"I've been in the sun all day." Sansa sidestepped her question. "I might have burned some."

"Yeah. I just bet you were all aflame. Did Stannis manage to put out the flames with his...hose?"

Sansa couldn't help but laugh, her face heating more as she shook her head and slipped her sandals back on. "I always thought men had dirty minds until I became friends with you, Margaery Tyrell."

"And I always thought Loras was good at answering a question without actually answering the question." Margaery tossed back with a smug smile. "But I'll let this one go. For now. Eventually you will have to tell me all about how you managed to seduce the unseducable."

"Unseducable is not a word, Margie."

Margaery gasped with a put upon face of shock. "My word! Has the grammar Nazi extraordinaire already corrupted my poor sweet Sansa?"

"I'm going home." Sansa laughed. "Good night, Margie. Be safe. Have fun."

"Sure thing, lovey." Margaery stood and hugged her goodnight and Sansa made her rounds, telling everyone goodnight that needed to be told. She finally managed to make it outside, her bag in tow, to the waiting towncar that Renly had insisted she take instead of calling a cab.

Once home, she took a quick shower, and changed into her cutest pair of panties that wouldn't seem like she was trying. Normally that would have been her black satin ones with the red lace. They were simple but a little sexy without being overtly naughty and uncomfortable. She even had a bra to match, but for some reason she couldn't find them anywhere. Figuring she lost them somewhere down in the laundry room, she put on her second favourite. Still black satin, but without any lace trimming. They still matched the bra from her other panties well enough, and Stannis had seemed to like the front closure. She was just putting on a pair of shorts when her phone rang.

"Hey, Stannis." she answered, feeling a bit ridiculous at the amount of butterflies in her belly. But he hadn't ever asked her over to his place. And they'd never actually slept together.

"I just left Renly and Loras'."

"Alright. I'm just finishing packing up a bag and then I'll head over."

There was a long pause and for a second Sansa was worried he would resend his invitation.

"Have you eaten?" he finally asked. "I know it's late, but I didn't eat before going to Renly's and I got a bit...sidetracked there and never ate."

Sansa giggled at how he had been sidetracked. She didn't feel the least bit guilty.

"I could eat, yes."

"Alright." another small pause. "You like Mereenese food, right?"

Sansa wondered how he knew that. She didn't think she'd ever told him.

"Yes. That sounds good."

"I'll call it in."

"Wonderful! I'll see you in a bit, then?"

"Yes."

"Great. Bye for now, then."

"Goodbye."

Sansa hung up her phone, feeling giddy and excited. It really felt like they'd made some sort of step in their relationship. She just hoped she wasn't the only one that was excited about it and wanting to take a few more.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this has taken so long. I went home to Germany for the week and didn't log in at all. Hope this was worth the wait!!

"I've never eaten at the Purple Lotus." Sansa told him while he pulled out plates from the cabinet.

"It's decent." Stannis sat the plates on the table and Sansa followed behind him with napkins and the plastic utensils that came from the restaurant. "Nothing as good or fancy as Mhysa House but it's closer and the service is faster."

"It looks wonderful." Sansa assured him, opening up the plastic containers and sitting them in the middle of the table. Stannis wasn't sure if it looked wonderful or not. For one, he couldn't stop looking at Sansa. Even in casual shorts and a t shirt she was stunning. For another, he was so nervous and unsure of how to act that he wasn't sure he would be able to eat at all.

Sansa carried the conversation for the most part while they ate, for which he was eternally grateful. Stannis listened intently, which wasn't all that hard. He was actually interested in what she had to say, whether it be about school or her family or women's rights. And she made it easy for him to talk about himself, prompting him often to talk about work or Shireen although he sidestepped the questions of his family when he could.

"What time do you have to go in to work tomorrow?" She asked once they were both just sipping on their drinks, the food forgotten once their stomachs were full.

"I have to be at the station at five thirty." he stood and started collecting the dishes. Sansa stood as well, repacking up the leftover food.

"I remember my dad having to be up that early." she said a little wistfully. "Did you ever work with him?"

Stannis sat their plates in the sink and turned to look at Sansa before he spoke, unsure of how she would handle talking about her deceased father. "We worked together, yes. Never as partners, of course. Jory Cassel was his partner."

"I know." she smiled fondly. "Jory still comes by sometimes. Checks in on how Bran and Rickon are doing. Helps Jon with things."

Stannis nodded. Jory had retired from the force after Ned was killed, but Stannis knew how close he and Ned had been. It wasn't surprising that Jory would still look in on his partners family.

"Jory was a good officer."

"Jory is a good man." Sansa clarified. "Just like my dad. A good officer, yes, but more importantly a good man. Dad was more than just a badge."

"Of course he was." Stannis quickly agreed, feeling as if he'd misstepped somehow and offended her. "Ned Stark was one of the most honourable and just men I've ever met. I was never that close with him outside work, but Robert was. It was easy to see the sort of man he was in the way he loved Catelyn and you kids. Even Jon."

"Especially Jon." Sansa laughed. "When aunt Lyanna died having him, dad never once questioned the decision to adopt him even though mum had just had Robb herself."

Stannis understood that, he'd always understood that about Ned. He had a duty to his sister, to his sisters son, and Ned wouldn't have hesitated a second before taking it on. It was one of the things he respected most about Ned.

"You remind me of him." Sansa said with a smile, her head cocked to the side as she moved towards him. Stannis scowled at that.

"I remind you of your father?" he questioned, arms crossing over his chest. Ned was seven years his senior, surely Sansa didn't see him as a father figure. She'd never shown any desire to call him 'daddy' in bed before. Was that something she wanted? Not that Stannis cared what others sexual preference was, but that was not one of his. He was having a hard enough time with their age difference without her calling him daddy.

"Not like that." she laughed. "I only meant that my dad was serious and, like you said, honourable and just. So are you." she placed her hands on his forearms and tugged them away from his chest, pressing her body to the front of him. He automatically wrapped his arms around her. Hearing her put it like that made him feel better.

"When I was with Joffrey, I used to hear Robert talk about you." she went on, running her hands up and down his chest. "Serious Stannis. Grumpy Stannis. Stannis, the man without humour. Cersei was frightened of you, not that she would ever say it out loud. And I used to think how terrifying you must be to have someone like her scared of you. Even Tywin, who still gives me shivers."

"Tywin Lannister is not scared of me." Stannis argued. "That man is scared of no one and nothing."

Sansa smiled and shook her head. "I overheard him tell Cersei once that there was nothing more dangerous than a truly just man. You intimidated him, whether you meant to or not. You intimidate most people."

Stannis wouldn't deny he was a little proud of that fact. "Do I intimidate you?" he asked her in a low voice, running his hands down her back to cup her denim encased bum.

"Most definitely." she sighed against his throat, her arms coming up to wrap around his neck.

"But you aren't scared of me, are you?" he tipped his head down to run his nose along her jaw line before nuzzling just under her ear. Sansa's breath caught, her head tilting to the side to give him better access.

"A little." she breathed.

Stannis jerked his head up in surprise to look at her.

"I would never hurt you, Sansa." he assured her roughly, moving his hands from her arse so he was holding her waist.

"I know that." she went on tiptoe to kiss his chin, then his cheek. "It just scares me sometimes how you make me feel." She whispered the words, her face tucked in close to his so he couldn't see her expression. He turned his face towards her, wanting her to explain what that meant, but then her mouth was covering his and he forgot everything else except the feel and taste of her.

They tripped and stumbled in a tangle of limbs and hastily discarded clothing towards his bedroom, neither of them wanting to allow too much time to pass without their bodies pressed together. Stannis had just managed to kick his pants off his foot when he reached the side of his bed. Hooking his arm around Sansa's waist, he lifted her up and inelegantly fell back onto the mattress. As soon as he landed, he rolled them so she was under him. Pulling his mouth from hers caused Sansa to whimper at the loss, but she was soon moaning in pleasure as he worked down her neck and chest to lavish attention to her breasts.

"Oh Gods." she groaned, fingers threading into the back of his hair. "That feels so good, Stannis."

Stannis released her nipple with a soft pop, then flicked the swollen peak with the tip of his tongue.

"I love your breasts." he told her before he could filter out the 'L' word. It was easy not to care, though, what with her naked breasts in his face. So he said fuck it and went with it as he licked over to her other breast.

"I love your nipples." he said against her skin before tugging that nipple into his mouth. Sansa took in a shaky breath, her back arching up into his mouth. "So sweet and sensitive." he rasped once he let it go, trailing lips and tongue down her undulating belly.

"I love your belly button." he traced it with his tongue before dipping inside. Sansa's stomach muscles tightened and a whimper fell from her lips. Moving further down on the bed, he knelt between her thighs and picked up her right leg, kissing the bend of her knee.

"And these legs." he groaned as he kissed up her inner thigh, sucking on the soft skin there hard enough to leave a mark. "Gods, these legs. I love your legs. So long and lean. I could die a happy man with these legs wrapped around me."

"Stannis." she moaned his name, her head lifting from the bed to look down at him. He met her gaze, taking in her parted lips and flushed cheeks. Holding onto the insides of both her thighs, he pulled her legs further apart and looked down at her sex. Puffy and swollen and already glistening with her desire.

"And this pussy." he nearly growled, running his hands up her legs until he could touch her with his thumbs, pulling her further apart. "Such a pretty pussy." Stannis glanced back up at her face, wondering what her reaction to his illicit words would be. Her eyes were squeezed shut now, her face even more red. Her chest was heaving with her quick breaths and her bottom lip was caught firmly in her teeth.

Gods, she looked on the verge of coming already and he hadn't even touched her.

Dropping his face to her centre, he ran his nose along her outer labia, inhaling the scent of her.

"I love your pussy." he panted. "How good you smell." he gave a quick lap along her folds to spread the wetness he found there. "How fucking wet you get for me."

Above him, Sansa was panting audibly now, one hand pressed against her stomach, the other fisting his sheets in a white knuckled grip. Feeling an odd sense of power and pride in himself at bringing her to this point, Stannis reveled in it. She made him feel like a fucking god. Like a man that damn well deserved to be desired this much.

Wanting to thank her for making him feel that way, he went about pleasing her as best he knew how. Working two fingers inside of her slick passage, he pumped them in and out quickly while he licked and sucked and rubbed at the swollen button of her clitoris. He didn't even mind when both her hands flew to the back of his head and shoved his face further into her, her hips surging against him and her thighs clamping over his head until he couldn't hear or see or feel anything but her arousal. When she came he was almost certain he felt a spurt of wetness coat his hand and chin.

Delirious with lust and need and drunk off her pleasure, Stannis jerked her legs off of his head and scrambled up the length of her body. Sansa was still panting and whimpering with her climax when he shoved a hand under her hips and surged inside of her as far as he could go.

"Oh Gods." Sansa sobbed, her arms locking around his shoulders and legs wrapping high around his waist. He could almost feel the after shocks of her climax ripple along his length. But maybe he was just mad with want.

"Fucking Hells, Sansa." he grunted, driving into her over and over. "I love how you feel around me. So tight and hot. Gods, but you feel good."

"Don't..." she panted, nails digging into his shoulders. "Don't stop. Please, Stannis, please."

He was so close to coming and part of him just wanted to drive into her until he exploded. She had come already so it wasn't like he was neglecting her. But he could tell she wanted to come again, with her pelvis grinding against him on every down thrust. Unlocking her legs from around him, he pulled out of her, highly amused at the outraged look on her face and the nearly feral growl that came from her.

"Turn around." he instructed, giving himself a moment to calm down. She hesitated for only a second before rolling over and then rising up on her hands and knees. Stannis shifted closer to her, his hands rubbing up and down her spine before grasping the soft mounds of her bum.

"Lift up." he wrapped an arm around her front, a hand flat between her breasts as he pulled her upright. "Hold onto the headboard."

Once she did, he guided himself back inside of her, his eyes rolling back as her wet heat surrounded him again. Dragging the hand between her breasts down until he was bracing her stomach, he started thrusting into her, his free hand dipping between her folds to rub against the clit.

"Oh!" she gasped when he thrust back in. "Oh my," her words trailed off on a drawn out moan, her head falling back on her shoulders. Stannis nosed her hair out of the way and began kissing the nape and side of her neck.

"Good Gods, this feels..." she moaned, "So good. So good. _Unnhh_ , don't stop thrusting like that."

"You like it?" he asked, keeping a steady pace and trying not to switch up on his angle at all.

"Yes. Yes, _yes, yes_." she started that sobbing noise she always made when she was close to coming. "You're hitting something inside me that's, _oohh!"_

Stannis bit his bottom lip hard enough to draw blood, trying not to come just yet. He could feel her pulsing around him, could hear how wet she was. His balls had long before seized up, that knot at the base of his spine winding tighter and tighter.

"Fuck me, sweet girl." he rasped into her ear, sweat starting to slip down his temples. "I need you to come. Come for me, Sansa. Let me feel how much you like it, sweet girl."

When she did, not exactly right on cue but within the next several thrusts, Stannis couldn't hold back any longer. Grasping her hips as her upper body collapsed onto the mattress, he pounded into her until he couldn't even see properly. He wasn't entirely sure he hadn't blacked out a bit at the amount of pleasure that surged through him when he came. When he came back to himself, he found that he'd collapsed on top of Sansa and was pretty sure she couldn't breath with him there, not to mention the awkward splay of her legs had to be uncomfortable. Gathering up all of his remaining strength, he rolled off of her, keeping a hand on her lower back as he stroked her soft skin, calming both her and himself.

"I need a shower." Sansa groaned after about five minutes of silence.

"As do I." he agreed.

Sansa rolled her head so she was facing him, her cheek smooshed by the pillow underneath her. "We can take one together."

"Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm rather too old to be going again anytime tonight."

Sansa laughed tiredly. "You're not old, and I don't think I could go again anyway. I just meant so we could be done faster. It's getting a bit late and I know you have to be up early."

Stannis sighed at the reminder. Glancing over her shoulder at the clock on his bedside table, he realized it was just after eleven. He really needed to get to sleep. And he really needed a shower.

"Come on." he hefted himself from the bed and started towards the bathroom, hearing Sansa get out of bed behind him. Once in the bathroom, he flicked on the shower and when the water was warm enough, stepped inside. A second later, when Sansa joined him, he found himself for the first time in his life envying Robert and Renly all their money and luxury homes with huge shower stalls. His shower bath combo was small and he and Sansa had to keep taking turns under the water spray while they washed.

On the other hand, in a bigger stall she wouldn't be pressed up against him to avoid getting cold when it was his turn under the spray. And the limited space gave him the excuse to wash Sansa's back and help get the conditioner out of her hair. Which was all really just a reason to keep touching her.

It was a new feeling, this close intimacy of bathing together without the intent to have sex. It was different and unusual, but not in a bad sort of way.

Pulling on boxer briefs while Sansa tugged on the same KLPD shirt she'd worn once before was the same sort of good different, made even better when they lay down in bed and she curled up into his side like she'd done it a million times before. Like there was no place in all of Westeros she'd rather be.

Even though a million thoughts were racing through his head, and even though he wasn't used to having a bed partner, the exhaustion of the day made it easy for him to fall quickly asleep, one hand covering Sansa's smaller one on his chest.

The next morning he woke up about fifteen minutes before his alarm went off. Still mostly asleep, he curled further into the body next to his.

"Mm." the soft humming had his eyes snapping open, only to find Sansa laying on her side facing him, their bodies a tangle of legs and sheets.

"Your body is like a furnace." she mumbled sleepily, her eyes still shut. "Nice and toasty."

Stannis couldn't say the same for her. Her little feet nestling themselves between his calves were like blocks of ice. It was still nice to wake up like this, icy feet aside. Especially when he could feel the crisp hairs covering her mound rasp against his thigh since she hadn't worn underwear to bed. Her eyes fluttered open and a smile spread across her face when she felt him harden against her hip.

"Someone's cheerful this morning." she teased, the hand she had draped over his back sliding around and into his underwear to gently stroke his length. Stannis groaned, his eyes rolling closed as more blood fled his brain in favour of the part of his anatomy Sansa was petting.

"My alarm is going to go off in," he peeked a look at the clock. "twelve minutes."

"Do you have to get up as soon as it goes off?" she asked, her hand no letting up on his cock. Stannis thought it over. Normally he showed up at work about twenty minutes early. Jon usually didn't arrive until ten or so minutes behind him.

"Are you wanting to have sex again right now?" he asked, leaning forward to kiss her lightly.

"Or we could just mess around." she trailed her lips down his chin to kiss his throat.

He was sold. Truth be told, he was game the second her hand touched his erection.

Knowing she would take a bit more warming up then him, he grasped her thigh and pulled it further up his leg, hooking her knee over his hip and opening her up to his touch. He started off with light touches, just tracing her folds, dipping in every now and then to rub around her opening or tease where he knew her clitoris was hiding beneath its hood. When she started getting wetter, allowing his fingers to glide across her easier, he touched her with more pressure, pressing his fingers inside of her to the second knuckle occasionally. Once she was breathing hard and beginning to moan, he entered her all the way with his fingers, using his thumb to rub circles around her now swollen up clit.

His eyes had been closed, trying to stave off the sensations of her hand still working him over, his underwear now pushed down enough that she could easily touch all of him. When he opened them, he found her watching him with bright eyes. He barely even registered his alarm going off.

"Stannis." she whispered his name and he swallowed her next moan when he kissed her hard.

As close as they still were, the head of his cock was resting against her belly as she stroked him and the hand he was fingering her with was brushing against his own skin. It all added to the intensity of what they were doing. He came before she did, his seed shooting across her belly and smearing on her hand and his erection as she kept stroking him through the aftershocks.

Although it was difficult to concentrate after coming, he managed to work her harder and faster until she was coming around his fingers, a soft little sob coming from her throat as her fingers tightened on his softening cock.

Letting her go, Sansa flopped onto her back with her eyes closed and a small smile on her face. Stannis glanced down at her stomach, smeared with his come. He felt a bit ashamed at the amount of pleasure the sight brought him, like he was some dog that had marked it's territory. Pushing that sexist thought from his mind, he turned the alarm off and went to the bathroom and cleaned up, wetting a rag and bringing it back to the bedroom with him.

Sansa was lying like he'd left her, her eyes still closed, her upper body completely exposed to her breasts where her shirt had been pushed up and the sheet tangled around one leg. He thought maybe she'd fallen back asleep, but when he sat on the side of the bed, her eyes opened and she smiled at him.

"Good morning." she sighed, arms stretching above her head.

"Good morning." he wiped the cloth across her stomach, cleaning up the mess he made.

"Oh." she jumped. "That's cold."

"Sorry." he mumbled, quickly finishing wiping her skin clean. And then, because he was already cleaning her and his hand was so close, he drew the cloth down to her centre and gently cleaned her there as well.

"Stannis." she moaned his name while he worked the soft cloth between her folds. "If it's not your intent to work me up again, you should probably stop."

And because he enjoyed the fact that he could work her up so easily, he didn't stop. Discarding the rag, he kept rubbing her with his fingers. Pushing her shirt above her breasts, he leaned forward and licked and sucked on her nipples until she was pulsing against his fingers and sobbing out her climax again.

"Gods, a girl could get used to waking up like this." she laughed when he righted her shirt and covered her up with the blanket, half to make her more comfortable, half to block out the visual temptation she presented.

"What time do you normally wake up?" he asked, moving to his closet and pulling out clean clothes.

"It depends on when my first class is." she sighed. "And I work three days a week at the Quiet Isle Institute."

The name of the institute rang a bell. A few of the other officers had gone there before, getting counseling or help after having fired their weapon or seeing something traumatic like the Bread Riots a few years back. Sandor Clegane, who had worked for Robert before getting arrested for being drunk and disorderly, had gone there. After a few years of getting the help he needed, he'd come and joined the force and was now one of the best officers they had.

"And since this is a Saturday?" he finished buttoning his trousers and started pulling on his shirt.

"I normally sleep until eight, meet Brienne and Ygritte at the gym, and then run errands or whatever else I have planned for the day. I'm supposed to meet Jeyne for lunch today."

"Feel free to go back to sleep." he tucked in his shirt and cinched his belt. "Renly is taking Shireen and Myrcella to the beach today so she wont be back until later this evening."

"You don't mind?"

"No." he put a knee on the bed and bent down to kiss her one last time. "Just make sure to lock up when you leave."

"Alright." she smiled at him when he stood back up and he lingered just a little longer before turning for the door, distracted by the sight of her in his bed looking well pleasured and gorgeous.

"Call me when you get off work tonight."

He stopped at the door and looked back at her with a brow raised.

"If, if you want, I mean." she shrugged and tried to smile but it looked a bit forced. "We could just...just talk."

Stannis felt a surge of hope flood his chest. "I'll call you."

"Be safe, Stannis." Her words had him pausing yet again.

"I always am." he assured her and after she gave him a wide smile, he finally pulled himself out of the bedroom and headed off to work.

There were a lot of things running through his mind, not to mention how pleasant his body felt, but one thing kept coming back to him. Something Sansa had said last night.

_"It just scares me sometimes how you make me feel."_


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter. After this, I'll post an epilogue and that'll be all she wrote!

"Brienne, there is no written rule that you have to wear a dress." Sansa tried to assure her friend as they browsed through the racks of dresses and clothes.

"Yeah, it's not black tie." Ygritte added. "And besides, can't you just wear your dress blues?"

"I could, yes." Brienne sighed and lifted a dark blue dress from the rack and held it up to herself. It was much, much too short for her tall frame. She scowled and slammed it back in it's place. "But Dacey Mormont said she wasn't wearing hers and neither are the Sand sisters so I'd feel out of place if I were the only female officer wearing hers."

"It still doesn't mean you have to wear a dress." Sansa shrugged. "Not if you don't want to. I could help you pick out a nice pant suit or something. Those are really in style right now."

"A pant suit?" Brienne groaned and shook her head. "I'm mistaken for a man enough as it is. Don't put me in a suit."

"Oh, shut up, Bri." Ygritte waved her off. "You're smokin' hot. I mean, look at those legs." she pointedly gave Brienne a slow once over. "And you're neck, so long and elegant. And I'm pretty sure just your eyes could bring a man to his knees."

"Yet Jaime remains firmly on his feet." Brienne grumbled, then blushed brightly when both Sansa and Ygritte busted out laughing. They knew their friend had a crush on the golden boy of Lannister, who was also her partner. Sansa had seen the way Jaime would occasionally look at Brienne. She was fairly certain he had some sort of feelings for her as well, and he'd become less of an arrogant, self righteous prick since his bitch of a sister had left Kings Landing. And don't even get her started on how the new department transfer officer, Tormund, looked at her. It still gave Sansa shivers just thinking of it.

Brienne was a beauty in her own right, no matter what was often said about her. And there were men out there that didn't have their heads so far up their rear ends to miss that fact.

"If you're set on wearing a dress I can help you pick out one that's best for your figure and highlights all your feminine beauty."

"Feminine beauty." Brienne rolled her eyes. "Fine. If you think you're magical, go right ahead."

Letting out a squeal of delight, Sansa jumped up and down and clapped her hands. Ygritte snorted and rolled her eyes, but Sansa didn't care. The three of them spent the rest of the afternoon scouring the dress shops until Sansa had found not only the perfect dress for Brienne, but one for herself as well. The Targaryan fundraiser for the Police Department was one of Sansa's favourite events every year. It was an excuse to get dressed up, but without the snobbiness of having to go full formal. It was always a fun night of good music, good food, and dancing and the gardens at the historical sight of the Red Keep were simply gorgeous.

Stannis hadn't gone last year, or even the year before that she could remember, so she assumed he wouldn't be going this year either. Although they had talked nearly every night since she had stayed at his house, they had both been far too busy the last week to actually see each other. He hadn't mentioned the fundraiser so neither had she. It was a little disappointing. It would be so fun to dress up together and go out, but she figured they weren't quite there yet. Obviously something had changed in their relationship seeing as they talked more now about nothing and everything so it was clearly more than just sex. He still hadn't talked about going public with whatever it was, or even defined exactly what it was.

Sansa decided to just go to the fundraiser with Brienne as her date and have a good time and try not to worry too much about all that right now. So the evening of the fundraiser, she went to Brienne's place to get ready and help her friend get ready as well. The dress she had helped Brienne find was simply stunning on her. Light blue in colour to bring out her eyes and compliment her skin tone, it was high necked to give the illusion of a fuller bust and a silver belt around the waist to help define what little curves she had there. The skirt was flowing and ended just above her knee, showing off her wonderfully long legs. Sansa helped her with light makeup, just highlighting her eyes and high cheek bones. They both decided a pair of silver flats would be best since Brienne was taller than most everyone else without heels to make matters worse.

Sansa's dress had a black bodice with an illusion lace neckline and the skirt was full, a dark purple with black floral print that ended about mid thigh. The back had a deep V, showing off her shoulders and spine. She twisted her hair up in an elegant chignon to show off the back and applied smoky eyed makeup and a hint of colour on her lips.

"I don't think I've ever felt this feminine." Brienne said as they handed off their tickets and purses at the entrance to the gardens.

"Is that a good thing, or a bad thing?" Sansa asked, linking their arms together as they started through the crowd.

"I'm not sure yet." Brienne chuckled. "I think it's good. Just...different."

"Well, you look lovely." Sansa caught sight of Jaime's golden hair standing near the open bar set off to the side and easily steered Brienne in that direction.

"What are you doing?" Brienne resisted a little when she realized where they were going.

"To get a drink." Sansa winked at her then nearly giggled out loud when Jaime turned around and saw them coming. He actually did a double take, a dramatic one. His pretty green eyes went wide, his mouth opened slightly as he gave Brienne a slow once over.

"Gods, this is awful." Brienne mumbled under her breath. Sansa just shook her head with a smile. Jaime had composed himself somewhat by the time they reached him, leaning casually against the bar with a grin on his face, but he couldn't seem to stop looking at Brienne's legs.

"Ms. Stark." he greeted her with a quick glance and incline of his head before turning back to Brienne. "Wench. Look at you. I take it Sansa relived her childhood days of dressing up Barbie."

"I dressed myself, thank you very much." Brienne huffed, her hands self consciously smoothing over the skirt of her dress.

"I wasn't aware you would know which end your head went in when it came to dresses."

Sansa internally groaned and rolled her eyes. Jaime could be such an ass and she didn't even think he realized just how much Brienne took his words to heart.

"I need to find Renly and say hello." Brienne mumbled before quickly fleeing. Sansa watched her go, then turned back to Jaime with her hands on her hips. He was watching her leave, his brows knitted together. Sansa slapped his shoulder.

"Hey." he jumped. "What was that for?"

"For being a prat." Sansa put her hands on her hips and glared at him. "Do you always have to be so rude to her?"

"I'm just teasing her." he shrugged. "She knows that."

"Does she?" Sansa countered. "Because I don't think she does. Brienne has crap self confidence already and your little remarks aren't helping anything. If you like her like I think you do, you'd better stop it. Not everyone is as blind to how amazing she is as you are." To further prove her point, she turned to find the Brienne had been waylaid by someone. Even with his back to them, it was easy to see it was Tormund by his size and red hair.

"Tormund doesn't know Brienne like I do." Jaime argued in a growling voice.

"Be that as it may, he isn't afraid to show her how much he cares. And he isn't embarrassed of the fact he finds her attractive. To a woman like Brienne, who isn't given that sort of positive feedback like she should, that's pretty potent stuff."

Jaime made a non committal sound in the back of his throat, but continued glaring off at where Brienne and Tormund were talking. Sansa sighed and shook her head, leaving him to his brooding as she searched out Jon and Ygritte. She found them near the tables that bordered the dance floor. Jon was speaking to some important looking people and Ygritte was sitting in a chair, legs crossed and looking effortlessly pretty in her little black dress as she sipped a glass of Jack and Coke.

"You look like your having so much fun." Sansa told her, taking the seat next to her.

"A blast." Ygritte deadpanned, eyes widening a fraction before she took another drink.

"Well, you look pretty."

"Thanks." Ygritte tipped her head towards the bar. "You did a good job with Bri. She looks gorgeous."

"She is gorgeous. I just worked with what was already there."

"Tor probably had a mangasm the second he seen her." she snorted.

"Probably." Sansa laughed, but it caught in her throat when she seen who walked past where Brienne and Tormund were talking.

"What?" Ygritte asked, sitting up straighter and looking for what Sansa was staring at.

"I didn't know Stannis would be here tonight." Sansa whispered, but wasn't exactly sure why she did.

Ygritte spotted him then and shrugged. "I didn't either. He normally avoids things like this."

Sansa nodded, still watching him as he was stopped by Renly. He looked mouthwatering in his dress blues and Sansa couldn't help but smile as she looked at him.

"Gods, woman. Don't drool just from looking at him." Ygritte scoffed.

"I am not drooling." Sansa argued, tearing her eyes away from Stannis to look at Ygritte. "I'm going to go say hello." she stood as Ygritte grinned and rolled her eyes. Sansa ignored the other woman and pushed her chair back. She had just made it around the table and was getting ready to cross the dance floor to where he was when a woman approached him. She looked close to Stannis' age, flawlessly beautiful with flowing dark auburn hair and a stunning red silk dress that hugged her figure perfectly. She stopped next to Stannis, placing her hand on his shoulder in a casual touch that seemed like one she'd done before a hundred times.

Sansa paused, her stomach turning uneasily, watching as Stannis looked at the woman's hand, then up at her face. He didn't seem surprised to see her. He didn't look as if he'd never met her before.

Suddenly feeling like she was watching something she shouldn't and feeling a little queasy, Sansa turned around and hurried back to the table Ygritte was sitting at.

"What was that all about?" she asked once Sansa sat down, her mind racing and her heart beating hard in her chest.

"Who is that woman?" Sansa asked, tilting her head towards Stannis.

"I don't know." Ygritte shrugged. "Sansa, you look like you're about to be sick. What is it?"

"Nothing." she shook her head and looked away. "It's nothing...it's...we're sleeping together."

 _"What?"_ Ygritte asked loudly. Jon stopped in his conversation nearby and gave them a curious look.

"Sshh." Sansa said quickly. "I said we are sleeping together. Me and Stannis."

"That's why you look sick?" Ygritte asked, leaning forward to get closer to Sansa.

"No." Sansa shook her head. "I, he..." she looked back at where Stannis still stood with the woman in red. Her hand was still touching him, now fiddling with the lapel of his dress blue jacket.

"He's talking to that woman?" Ygritte offered. "And that makes you...mad?"

"Not mad." Sansa quickly denied. "Just...confused. He didn't tell me he was coming tonight."

As she watched, Stannis nodded at Renly then scanned the area before finding Jon. As he started this way, the woman in red followed close to his side. Sansa sank further into her chair, suddenly wishing she could run away or just disappear. He hadn't seen her yet. She could just slip away and pretend she never seen any of this.

"Screw that." she mumbled, sitting up straight in her chair. Ygritte smiled at her encouragingly. She waited until he reached Jon before standing up, Ygritte following her as they both went to where they were just a few steps away.

"Stannis." Jon smiled and held out his hand for Stannis to shake. He took it, but his eyes drifted to where Sansa was and she could see his jaw muscle tick.

"Jon." he quickly looked back at her brother.

"Who's your date?" Jon asked with a grin, motioning to the woman in red.

"She's..." he started, but the woman stepped in and offered Jon her hand. "I'm Melisandre."

"Jon." he replied, awkwardly shaking her hand before motioning to Ygritte who was standing between him and Sansa. "This is my girlfriend, Ygritte, and my sister, Sansa."

"A pleasure." Melisandre smiled at each of them, but for some reason it made Sansa feel unsettled. Neither she or Ygritte said anything in return.

"Dance with me, Stannis." She effortlessly shrugged off their silence and turned to Stannis, her hand going back to his shoulder.

"I don't dance." Stannis said firmly. It didn't make Sansa feel better at all. She couldn't stop staring at his face but it seemed he refused to look at her.

"Come now, I know you have rhythm." Melisandre purred suggestively. "I'm sure it translates wonderfully onto the dance floor."

Sansa audibly gasped at the woman words, a sharp pang going through her chest. Ygritte subtly stepped closer to her, a comforting hand coming to her back.

For his part, Stannis glared at the other woman, but said nothing.

"Go on, Stannis." Jon encouraged, blissfully unaware of what was going on. "It's alright to loosen up and have fun."

"I'm going to get another drink." Ygritte interrupted her boyfriend. "Do you want anything?"

"No, thanks."

"Sansa, come with me?" Ygritte offered, but Sansa didn't look away from Stannis. No, she wasn't going to give him an easy out by leaving right now.

"I'm fine, thank you." Sansa tossed her a quick smile. Ygritte shrugged and shot Stannis a glare before heading towards the bar.

"That dance?" Melisandre prompted once Ygritte was gone.

"It's just a dance, Stannis." Jon nudged Sansa with his elbow. "Tell him, San. Dancing is fun."

Stannis finally looked at her then and she wanted nothing more than to scream at him for letting this other woman touch him, not to mention what she wanted to do to this woman's hand. That was still touching _her_ Stannis!

No, sir. She was not letting this happen without at least making a subtle claim on him. Regardless of how barbaric that sounded. He could deflect it if he wished and she would know exactly where they stood.

"Dancing is fun." she smiled hopefully at him. "Would you like to dance?" She could almost hear Jon's confusion from his silence when she offered Stannis her hand. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Melisandre's perfect brow arch before she looked at Stannis for his reaction. Sansa didn't look anywhere else but at him, pleading him silently to not let her look like a complete fool.

His facial expression never changed, but his eyes did widen a fraction as he looked from her hand to her face to Jon and back to her face. Sansa thought her heart was going to beat right out of her chest. What was probably only a few seconds felt like an eternity as she held her hand out towards him. She saw the second he decided what his move would be. His scowl evened out and his back straightened. He tilted his head in her direction and gently grasped her hand in his.

"Of course." he glanced at Jon and nodded a sort of goodbye before leading Sansa towards the dance floor.

Sansa felt like she was walking on air. She knew she was smiling like an idiot, but she couldn't help it. The fact that Melisandre looked flabbergasted made it all better. Especially since she got to use the word flabbergasted.

It was a fun word.

"I really don't dance well." Stannis warned her as he pulled her into the classic dance pose with one of her hands in his and his other resting high on her waist.

"That was never the point, now was it?" she smiled at him, letting him lead her into a basic waltz. He knew the motions and the steps, although his movements were stiff and far too formal.

"What was the point?" he asked, looking at her. With her heels on they were eye to eye. Sansa just smiled at him, then frowned when she recalled Melisandre's words.

"Who is she?"

"Melisandre?" he asked casually, but she felt the tension rise in his posture.

"Yes." she nodded.

"An old acquaintance." he took a deep breath through his nose and looked off over her shoulder. "No one of any importance."

"She said she was your date."

His dark blue eyes snapped back to hers and Sansa had to work hard at not flinching at the intensity in them.

"She's not. I had no idea she would be here tonight. Though I suppose I should have known."

Sansa felt the ache in her chest ease some.

"But you've slept with her." she said it as a statement, not a question because she knew it was true. She could tell by the casual ease with which Melisandre had touched him, and her remark about Stannis having rhythm.

Stannis scowled even harder, his top lip curling in distaste. Sansa was pretty sure she could hear his teeth grinding.

"It's alright." she forced out of her throat. "We never put any terms of exclusiveness on any of this." her eyes stung a bit as she said the next part, "But you did say you would tell me if you were having sex with someone else so we could go back to using condoms."

"It was never necessary." he snapped a bit harshly. Then he took a breath and calmed himself. "I'm not having sex with anyone but you. Yes, I have slept with Melisandre before, but it's been well over six months since the last time I've even seen her. I..." he cut himself off with a audible snap of his jaws as he looked away from her.

Sansa almost started crying from the relief she felt. "Good." she swallowed hard. "Good, because I...I don't want you to."

His eyes shifted back to her and he lifted a brow in question.

"I want to keep being the only one you have sex with." she took a deep breath. "I was wrong before. I wouldn't be okay with you sleeping with other women while you're with me. If that's not okay, then maybe we should stop doing this."

"No." he said quickly, both his hands tightening on her although they'd pretty much stopped dancing for the most part. "No, I...I wouldn't do that to you, Sansa. You, _this_ , means more to me than just sex. Something has changed, hasn't it?" he asked unsurely.

"Yes." she breathed out, her eyes watering again and this time she wasn't able to blink the tears back quick enough.

"Don't." he moved the hand from her waist to brush the tears from her cheeks. "Don't do that. I didn't mean to make you cry."

"They're not sad tears, Stannis." she laughed, letting go of his shoulder to clean them away faster without smudging her makeup. "It's alright. I'm fine. And yes, something has changed. For the better, I think."

He looked a little dubious at her assurance she was fine, but took back up their dance. "If we are together, I would never disgrace you by seeing another woman. I hope you know that."

"I do." she nodded. "And we are. Together, I mean." Stannis nodded and Sansa almost swore she seen the corner of his mouth tilt up into a grin. It passed quickly, though.

"Jon is going to kill me."

"Jon wants me to be happy." she countered. "You make me happy. He'll get over his initial shock quickly."

Stannis looked at her for a long time before shaking his head. "How could I possibly make someone like you happy."

Sansa smiled at him, lifting her hand from his shoulder to cup his cheek. "How could you possibly question that? Stannis, if the last few months has shown you anything it's how wonderful we are together. Hasn't it been good for you? Even outside all the epic sex?"

He huffed out a short laugh of sorts at that, then grew serious again, clearing his throat. "Yes. It's been...good seems a far too simple word."

Sansa laughed at that, trailing her hand back to the nape of his neck to play with his hair there. "I agree."

She felt her smile fade some as she looked into his eyes, searching his face. He was so warm and the musk of body wash and hint of his natural scent surrounded her. The hand he held hers with was calloused but gentle, the hand at her waist feeling as if it was made to fit in the dip above her hip.

"Gods, I've missed you." she whispered, stepping closer into his hold.

He seemed a bit shocked at first, but quickly pulled her even closer, his hand shifting upwards to rest on the bare skin between her shoulder blades, his thumb rubbing circles and causing her skin to tingle.

"I've missed you as well." he said gruffly.

"Let's not go a week without seeing each other again." she laid her cheek on his shoulder, her forehead resting on his jaw.

"Agreed." his words ghosted over her forehead.

They were silent for a long time, just listening to the music play as they held each other in blissful quiet. Then a thought occurred to Sansa and she started laughing.

"What is so humorous?" he asked.

"Does this mean I'm your girlfriend?" she lifted her head to look at him with a grin.

"I suppose so." he furrowed his brow. "Why is that so funny?"

"It's not." she shook her head with a smile. "It just means you're my boyfriend. That seems like such a mundane word for someone with a presence like you."

"What would you rather call me?" he asked with a hint of amusement.

"I don't know." she shrugged, then remembered what she and Ygritte had often called him when they talked about him. "How about my Mannis?" she laughed.

He did that huff of a laughter thing again, shaking his head as he pulled her back to him. "Whatever the lady prefers."


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end. My only friend, the end. 
> 
> Sorry, I'm a Doors fanatic. Jim Morrison makes me drool a little :)

_ 8 months later _

 

"Stannis, do you have an explanation for this?"

Stannis shut the water off in the sink, tapping his razor along the edge before sitting it down and turning to Sansa, wiping his face off as he did so. He froze when he found her standing in the doorway, a hand on her hip and the other holding up a pair of panties dangling from one finger. One elegant brow was cocked in question and there was a smirk on her face. Stannis swallowed, feeling his face heat up, and not because he'd just shaved.

"I can explain." he mumbled, pulling the towel from his neck and tossing it over the shower rod.

"Good." Sansa still held up the panties. They felt like some sort of shaming device even though he'd never been ashamed of keeping them before.

"They are yours, if that was in question."

Sansa huffed a laugh and dropped her hand, the panties now hanging by her thigh. "Of course they're mine. They were my favourite pair. I spent weeks searching for them and even filed a complaint with my building manager because I thought some perv might have taken them from the dryer."

"I didn't mean to cause any sort of distress." he cleared his throat and lifted his chin. "I apologize."

"Nonsense." she waved him off. "If I had known you were the perv that stole my panties, I wouldn't have been upset. I'm just curious as to why you thought you needed to be sneaky about it, and then never tell me."

Stannis' embarrassment quickly turned to guilt. "It was a long time ago, back before I realized you wanted something more than just sex from me. I...I thought at the time it would be the only thing I could keep of you." he stepped closer to her and cupped both her shoulders in his hands. "I should have asked, and I should have told you sooner. Please, Sansa, forgive me."

Sansa smiled that sweet smile of hers that said she found something he said endearing. Both her hands came up to cup his freshly shaven face.

"You were forgiven the second I found them, Stannis. I'm not angry."

Stannis let out a relieved breath and bent forward to kiss her lips softly.

"Can I ask you something else?" she asked, bringing her arms around his neck.

"Certainly." he kissed down her cheek and began nibbling at her throat.

"Do we have time for a quick trip to the bedroom before we need to leave?"

Stannis felt his lips curl into a grin against her throat, then he gently sucked on her skin, running his hands down and around to knead the soft flesh of her bum.

"No," he ran his tongue around the shell of her ear. "We don't." She whimpered pitifully and sagged against him, but Stannis spun them around so her back was against the sink.

"But we do have time if we do it here." he rasped, rucking up her skirt so he could palm the bare flesh exposed by her cheeky cut boy shorts. Sansa moaned, her hips thrusting against him as her arms dropped and her hands started making quick work of his belt and trouser buttons. When her warm hand wrapped around his cock, he groaned and took her mouth in a heated kiss, thrusting his tongue into her mouth and tangling it with hers. Dipping his fingers beneath the leg band of her panties, he stroked and petted her folds until he deemed her wet enough and then pulled away from her.

"Where are you going?" she demanded, her hand going back to his open trousers to retake it's hold on his erection.

"Inside of you." he informed her in a growl. "Now turn around and hold onto the sink."

With a needy noise, Sansa turned around and leant over the sink and grabbed hold of the sides, thrusting her arse towards him. Stannis took a moment to smooth her skirt up over her back to expose her bum, enjoying the way the full curves looked encased in the black sheer lace. After giving them an appreciative squeeze, he pulled them down to her knees and stepped up behind her, notching his cock until it was in the right spot, the head kissing her wet heat. The fact she was wearing heels meant they were the same height and he only had to bend his knees slightly until he was inside of her.

" _Oh_." she sighed as he slid fully home, his hands going up under her skirt to grip her hips and hold both of them steady.

"Don't hit the facet and turn the water on." he warned her. "We really wont have time for you to change once we've finished here."

"Just move." she arched her spin, rubbing her bum against him. "Please, Stannis." He smoothed his hands down the globes of her bottom, kneading and squeezing for a moment.

"Since you asked so nicely." grasping a cheek in each hand, he began moving inside of her.

It still managed to surprise him how openly she wanted him, how wonderfully she responded to the things he did. Even more so now after months of being with each other and him getting to know her body better and better. Stannis preferred to be the best at everything he did, and playing Sansa's body was no different.

When she was panting loudly, he dipped one hand around the front and sifted through her curls to find her swollen little bundle. She had asked him a few months into their relationship if he would prefer her to completely wax herself. Though the idea had some appeal to it, Stannis had told her he liked her with hair. It reminded him she was most definitely a woman. Maybe it was a generational thing, but he never minded pubic hair on his partner. That Sansa would take what he preferred into consideration had warmed him.

Usually he liked to prolong things, stretch it out and tease both her and himself so that their pleasure lasted longer, but right now was about getting off quickly. With the tips of his first two fingers, he traced tight circles around her clitoris and started thrusting faster and harder. She came quickly, her body going tense and pulsing around his length.

With a hand between her shoulder blades, he pushed her back down over the sink and quickly pushed her skirt further out of the way. A second before his balls gave their final throb before he came, he pulled out of her and fisted himself, shooting milky streams onto the globes of her bum. Sansa gasped when she felt it, angling her head around to look at him, but Stannis couldn't stop watching as his seed covered her skin. With one last squeeze, he let go of his fading erection and braced both hands on the sink beside hers, careful not to touch the front of his shirt to her skin.

"What was that all about?" she asked in a breathless voice once he found the strength to stand, one hand motioning back towards her bottom.

"You always say it takes forever to clean up after I come inside of you." he pulled the towel off the rod he'd tossed there earlier and began cleaning off her skin. "We don't have forever right now, and I assumed you would prefer not to go to your graduation party with a mess in your panties."

"Uh huh." she giggled, and bent to pull her panties up once he was finished cleaning her off. "I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact you like marking me." she said in a teasing tone. Stannis flushed at her assessment, which horribly enough wasn't too far off base, though he honestly didn't want her to be uncomfortable at her party.

"It's alright." she laughed when she seen his expression. "I get a little thrill out of seeing my nail marks on your back and shoulders." she straightened out her skirt and blouse while he righted his pants and trousers.

"And, honestly, I like seeing the love bites and occasional finger tip sized bruises on my hips." she gave a self deprecating smile and shrugged. "It's a physical reminder of how much you want me."

Stannis stared at her for a long time, going over what she'd said. It made him feel better about his enjoyment at seeing those things on her as well. But he didn't like how that last part sounded. Yes, he wanted her. But he also wanted her to know that it was more than just a want.

"I love you." he heard himself blurting.

Sansa's eyes, which had been cast down, watching her hands as they twisted her skirt back to it's rightful place, snapped up to his, as wide as saucers.

"What?" she breathed in a disbelieving voice.

"I don't just want you. I love you." he repeated himself, louder and more sure this time. Sansa's mouth was hanging open, and now slowly lifted into a huge smile that had to have caused her cheeks to hurt. Her eyes began to water a little.

"Oh, Stannis." she threw herself at him, nearly knocking him off balance. "I love you, too." she kissed him before he could say anything, but it didn't matter. His chest felt lighter then it had in ages and as he wrapped his arms around her and deepened the kiss, he realized for the first time what people meant when they said that being with someone was like coming home. That's what it felt like with Sansa. Warm and peaceful and welcoming.

Neither of them heard the front door opening, but then Shireen's voice was calling from the hall.

"Dad! Sansa! Are you guys ready? Uncle Renly sent me over with the town car and it's waiting downstairs." Stannis and Sansa jumped apart, staring at each other with wide eyes. Then Sansa started laughing out loud, one hand covering her mouth.

"We're coming." Stannis called, shaking his head at Sansa. "That was far too close." he whispered.

"We'll have to be more careful." Sansa agreed.

"Yes, we will." he pulled out the key in his pocket and handed it to her. "Especially since I want you to move in with us. If you want, of course."

Sansa stared at the key in the palm of his hand for a long time and Stannis found himself wishing he had done this after her party rather than right now. At least that way they weren't in a rush in the first place when she clearly needed to think about it.

"You don't have to answer right away." he assured her, dropping his hand to his side. "Think it over and make your decision. It wont offend me if you aren't ready. This isn't an ultimatum. Just an option."

Sansa, still looking a little shock numb, looked up at him and nodded. "Thank you. It's a lovely, lovely offer."

Despite what he had said, it stung a bit when he thought she wouldn't want to. Clearing his throat, he put the key back in his pocket and arranged his face into his normal appearance. No need for her to see just how wounded he was by her reaction. He consoled himself with the fact that she had told him she loved him. He could understand her want or need for more time before making such a big decision like moving in with him. She stayed the night with him often, but never when Shireen was home.

"Wait, Stannis." she grabbed his arm when he went to leave the bathroom.

"What is it?" he looked at her and was immediately warmed by the look in her eyes.

"I want to accept your offer." she said gently, the hand she had grabbed his arm with rising to touch the side of his face. "I really do. I'm not saying no. But there are things we need to discuss before making that decision. We don't have time to do that now, but I would like to do that tonight when we get back here."

Stannis felt the tension in his shoulders ease and he caught her wrist, pressing a kiss into the palm of her hand. "Then we'll have the discussion as soon as we get home."

"Shireen should be a part of that discussion, don't you think?"

That she was concerned about Shireen's feelings about the situation drove home the point that this would be a good move.

"I talked to Shireen about it before I asked you." he lifted a hand and smoothed a few fallen pieces of hair behind her ear. "She wanted to start clearing you off a shelf in the medicine cabinet immediately."

Sansa laughed, tears shimmering in her eyes. "I love that girl, you know."

"Dad!" Shireen yelled again, breaking the moment between them. "Let's get going."

"Shall we?" Stannis offered Sansa his arm, and she took it with a smile.

"We shall." When Shireen seen them coming down the hall, she rolled her eyes with a grin, but hurried out the front door to get in the town car.

"You know," Sansa said in a low voice. "If I do move in with you, you won't have to keep stealing my panties. There will be a whole drawer full of them in your bedroom."

Stannis groaned at the thought, his arm tightening around her hand.

Oh, yes. This would be a wonderful move. Anything that brought him more Sansa more frequently with the added bonus of a drawer full of her panties was well worth any price he had to pay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed! Thanks to all who read and to those who commented and left kudos. It makes this all so much more fun for me!!


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